Unexpected Love
by MidoriRain
Summary: Kimiko has always had a gift. Sometimes it can be helpful and other times not. Sometimes that gift causes what she tries so hard to prevent. There is also times where her gift chooses not to work at all. When Naraku learns the truth about her, can Sesshomaru and her new friends protect her? Or has her fate been sealed from the beginning?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! So this is my first fanfic on here! I wrote fanfics a few years ago but we all know how things from when you were younger can turn out when you look back at it again. *shivers* ANYWAY, this is to get used to writing again and hopefully I get better at it. Please forgive me if it turns out bad or if there are a lot of grammar mistakes (terrible at grammar).**

 **At some point, I will go back and fix mistakes or rewrite chapters when I get better.  
**

 **Edit: This chapter has been updated. It is longer than the original, hopefully, it is also better.**

 **I hope you enjoy and please review!**

 **.x.x.x.x.x.**

I felt numb as I laid on the ground. Their screams and cries sounded muffled. Rin ran to my side. I stared into her beautiful brown eyes as they filled with sorrow. As her tears splashed onto my face, I tried to comfort her. I wanted to tell her that it would be alright; that I loved her so much. When I tried to speak, blood filled my lungs and I began to choke. This only made her scream more.

So focused on trying to breathe, I didn't realize I was now being held until I saw his eyes. He too had such beautiful eyes. I told him so often how much I loved them. If only I could tell him again. Maybe it would make him smile once more. I would rather see that than watch as anguish, pain, and fear seep past his barriers. I don't want him crying to be the last thing I see before I die. I want only happiness for them.

As my vision quickly began to blur, I mustered up the strength to put my hand to his cheek. "I love you," I managed to choke out. Hopefully, it came out clear; I couldn't tell. Everything began to blur faster. The last thing I managed to see were those golden eyes.

==OOO==

The laughter of children from my window caused me to wake up. Still groggy, I wiped my eyes and yawned. Slowly, I went to the small opening and stuck my head out. A group of smiling children greeted me as they pushed each other in an attempt to get closer to the window. I chuckled before letting out another yawn.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of being woken by you all this morning," I asked.

"We wanted to see if you would play with us today," Yuki exclaimed. She was a small girl who wore a tan yukata. "Kohaku left with the other slayers and Sango took Kirara with her. That leaves you to play with!"

"Yeah," Akio added in. "You know the other adults are no fun! Come play!"

"All right. What do you want to play?"

Yuki turned to the others and they all began to whisper. She faced me once more and smiled. "Hide and seek!"

"Alright," I responded. "Though only in the village. Since many of the slayers left and I would be the only adult with you, it wouldn't be a good idea to do so in the forest."

Cheers echoed from the group of children as I pulled my head back inside. After a quick change of clothes, I walked towards the entrance of the hut. The hut itself was nothing spectacular. It was small in size. After I was old enough, I had Ichirou, Sango's father and leader of the village, build me the small hut so I could live on my own. I had been living with them since he had stumbled upon me as a small child. Years ago, I had lived in a secluded village and it was eventually raided by bandits. Being the only survivor, I left and wandered through the forests barely surviving on my own.

Upon exiting the hut, children surrounded me, each one talking simultaneously. Quickly, I placed the tip of my right index finger to my lips. The silent gesture managed to quieten the kids. Pulling my hand away, I spoke. "One at a time. I cannot hear all of you talking to me individually at once."

"We were trying to decide where we should play," Sora responded.

"Hm. Let's see. Hiding inside houses is off limits. Everyone needs to remain outside and in the village. No hiding in the cave or within the graveyard! There will also be no climbing. I do not need someone getting hurt and parents blaming me for it... again."

Akio scratched the back of his head as he avoided my look towards him. He had climbed on top of a hut once and fell through the roof. The fall hurt his leg along with one of the villagers he fell on top of. Seeing that it was my idea for the game and did not place any rules, I was held responsible.

After everyone agreed to the rules, I turned around and counted out loud. Laughter and playful screams separated into every direction, eventually becoming silent as I finished. With ease, I found most of them, except for Akio. Some of the ones who were spotted ran off in search of him and the others followed me. They were all eager to find him since another round could not begin until then. I decided to walk the perimeter of the village and stuck close to the large wooden wall that surrounded the village, protecting all who live within from what lurks outside. As I got closer to a scout tower, I noticed no one was on duty. Confused, I squinted my eyes as I looked to make sure that I saw correctly. Besides a quick change of shifts, someone was always up there and it was nowhere near time for that.

Movement from above caused me to stare up at the sky. Something was falling. Not able to make out what the object was, I quickly pushed the children back to prevent them from being hit by it. With my back turned towards it, I could hear as it landed not far behind me. Glancing at their reactions, it was something terrible. The kids stood there frozen with wide eyes, not making a sound until Yuki screamed. I spun around and almost threw up at the sight that greeted me. A bloody corpse laid on the ground ripped to shreds. Before I could even react, horns sounded from the other scout towers as yokai flew down from the sky.

Pointing to the nearest hut, I screamed, "Get inside! NOW!" As they scrambled to do as they were told, I darted towards my hut. Once inside, I grabbed my katana and unsheathed it as I ran outside once more.

In those few moments, many had already died as one yokai spat out fire, burning villagers along with a few huts. I ran through the village, killing any yokai I could as I desperately searched for the other children. As I turned a corner, I saw Akio crying over his mother's body. I was not the only one to spot him. A long, yellow snake-like yokai quickly descended down aiming for him. As I ran to his side, I managed to cut off its head with a swing of the sword just in time. The small boy made no reaction, instead, he focused on his dead mother. With a quick glance, I saw as even more yokai appeared to attack the village.

I silently cursed whoever hired most of the slayers. Had they still been in the village, we would probably have stood a chance. Though many of the villagers knew how to fight, it did not mean they were warriors. They were only meant to deal with minor threats while the taijiya were away and this was nothing minor. Seeing that there was nothing more I could do, I grabbed Akio's hand and dragged him towards the hut the other children hid in.

Once inside, I turned to them and put a finger to my lips once more. Some continued to cry, though not as loud, and others held their hands over their mouths to try to stop any more noises from coming out. For a little bit, it seemed that most of the yokai were on the other side of the village. It was torture as we listened to villagers screaming. Eventually, the screams stopped and the demons came closer. The children whimpered but tried to remain quiet as possible. Moments pass and the only thing that could be heard was dead silence.

"A-Are they gone," Akio whispered.

Suddenly, a loud crack came from above and caused them to scream as the hut caved in on us.

==OOO==

I was awake but could not yet move. My eyelids felt so heavy. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't open them.

"I found her in a collapsed hut. All the children in there with her had died, however, she managed to stay alive. Although her wounds were bad, they weren't life-threatening," a male voice explains.

 _He found me? Someone was alive? Who is he?_

Sobs and sniffs filled the silence until a woman spoke. "I'm glad that someone else at least survived...Though, she won't be happy it's her.."

 _That voice... I know that voice..._

"S-Sango," I managed to choke out. Hearing her gave me the strength to be able to open my eyes.

"Oh, Kimiko! I'm so glad you're okay," she wept.

Ignoring the pain and her protests, I slowly began to sit up. Scanning the room, I noticed four people I didn't know. A hanyo dress in red, a monk, and a girl dressed in improper clothing holding a fox yokai.

After an attempt to soothe my dry and sore throat by swallowing my saliva, I decided to ask something I would regret. "Who are these people? Where are your dad and the others? Did anyone else in the village live?!"

Sango's face lost the very little joy it had.

"Kimi... Everyone is dead."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, everyone! I know it's been a long time since I started this. Don't be too upset, life kinda happened. My dogs got into a fight and in the middle of it, my hands got bit pretty bad. For a while I couldn't use them. They healed up fine, just got some scars and they aren't strong as they use to be. Harder to hold some things now. Anyway, I'm back! On to the story!**

* * *

Some time has passed since our village was attacked. Sango's new companions had helped us to bury the dead. During this time, they explained to me about Naraku, how he controlled Kohaku, attacked the village, and tricked Sango into thinking it was Inuyasha that committed such a wretched deed. They also explained to me their stories of why they too are after Naraku.

After praying over the newly made graves, Sango led them to the cave to explain the history of the Shikon jewel. Already knowing the tale, I stayed behind. I hated the fact that I was alive and blamed myself for their death. I still do. Had I been able to see the attack coming, I could have prevented it. Everyone would have had time to get to safety. However, as much as I had blamed myself, I knew that I could do nothing to change the past. No amount of 'what if' could change it either. After all, this isn't the first time I lost a home.

Although I failed to protect them, I made a vow as I had stood over their fresh graves. I vowed that I would avenge them. They may not have been my blood, but they were still family. They saved me when I was lost and it's a debt I will never be able to pay back. Though, I will still do all I can to try.

"How did you even get all this stuff anyway?"

Hearing Inuyasha speak made me come out of my thoughts. We had just left a village that we recently saved from a water sprite pretending to be a water god. Inuyasha seemed to be commenting on Miroku's new wagon of items. It was overfilled with lots of expensive cloth and trinkets.

"Well, I told the headman that I wasn't opposed to telling the village that his son acted with tremendous bravery. Then he gave me all these gifts," Miroku said with an innocent face.

"You blackmailed him into it didn't you!"

"Does he always pull stunts like this," Sango asked.

Sighing, I spoke up, "Probably. He doesn't seem to be the holiest monk there is."

"Only sometimes," Kagome said awkwardly. No doubt trying to make him seem slightly decent.

"I think we should sell these items in the next village and have a huge party to celebrate!" Just like that, Kagome's effort to make him seem like a decent person was in vain.

Inuyasha got upset. "That's the last time I do any acts of human kindness with you!"

* * *

As it got close to sun set, we stopped to make camp. Inuyasha let Kagome know that there was a hot spring nearby before leaving to hunt for food.

Kagome threw down her yellow bag and became excited. "Let's hurry and go bathe! I've been wanting to do so for days!"

"Ok, Sango dear you heard her. Let's go ba-" _SMACK_.

No one had to turn to see what that sound was. We all knew the lecherous monk had a huge red hand mark on his face. You would think he would stop at some point before Sango beats all the sense out of him.

"Only Kagome, Kimiko, and I are going bathe monk! Be useful and go gather some firewood," she turned her back to him with her arms crossed. Though she was mad, a slight blush was across her face. I couldn't help but giggle.

Shippo volunteered to keep an eye on the monk while we bathed. After watching them go the opposite way, we left to go to the hot springs.

Although hot springs are very relaxing, Kagome seemed the most excited. She set down a thick piece of cloth and some weird containers on the edge before quickly stripping and jumping in. After all of us were in, I decided to ask her about the weird things she brought.

"Kagome, what are those things? And why are you so eager to bathe?"

"You remember how I said I was from the future," she asked.

I nodded.

"Well, we bathe every day before bed. Some even bathe when they wake up. Those bottles are soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Soap comes in many forms and many smells but is used to clean the body. Shampoo is used to clean your hair and makes it smell nice. Conditioner helps to make your hair smooth and healthy."

"The concept of bathing frequently isn't new to me. Where I am from, we had a spring nearby that we bathed in. My village bathed more frequently than others tend to do."

She looked at me confused. "Your village? You mean you and Sango's, right?"

"No. I had lived in a secluded village when I was younger. We kept to ourselves mostly. There were a few outsiders that we trusted, though they were only a few. It wasn't until later on that I came to Sango's village."

After showing Sango how to use the things she called shampoo and conditioner, she turned to me. "If you don't mind me asking... What happened for you to leave your village?"

Sighing, I thought of where to begin. It wasn't a tale I told often. Nor did I trust to tell a lot of people the full tale of it. "You're a miko, correct?" She nodded. "Can you keep a secret? One that you can never tell another soul?"

Kagome stared at me confused but still agreed. "Whatever it is, I promise to never tell anyone."

Sango looked at me as she passed the bottles to me. "Are you sure? You don't have to."

"I'm sure. At some point, I am sure she will notice anyway." I quickly washed my hair before turning to the miko. "A long time ago, there was a group of yokai that was always targeted. They were weak but had the ability to see the future. Also, the past according to some tales. The name of the yokai was lost at some point. Though many called them Senrigan* due to their power."

"But what does this have to do with your village?"

"Everything. You see, the Senrigan were hunted by other yokai so that they could have power over their enemies. Those that were captured would eventually kill themselves to stop their captors from abusing their power. Eventually, the Senrigan faced extinction. Many killed themselves or died trying to fight off their hunters. Those that were left went into hiding.

They found a secluded place and made a village. Eventually, outsiders were occasionally let in. Many were humans or hanyo that chose to become mates. This continued for generations. The last of the pure Senrigan eventually died out."

"If the pure-bloods died, then that would mean the descendants would eventually have more human blood than yokai. Give or take due to the occasional hanyo or mixing of families."

"That's correct. Though they would always have their ancestors blood, the human blood weakened their abilities. Throughout the years, the ability to see the future began to die out. After a while, only a handful could see the future, though they could not control when. Nor could they control how often they could. Some could see it once and that would be the end. Others could see the future throughout their whole life, though it could not have been often.

In my generation, I was the only know one. The elders said I was the youngest they seen to have visions. Before the others could grow and see if they had the ability, our village was attacked.

My mother was tending to my sick sister. She left me to keep watch while she went gather herbs outside the village. She stumbled upon a man who was injured and led him to the village to help him. When he was healed, he left."

Everyone had finished bathing at this point and so we started to get out the spring. Kagome dried off and then passed down the towel to Sango as she waited for me to continue.

"The man, however, was not trustworthy. He was a scout for a group of bandits. He had gotten hurt while looking for another place to ransack. Soon he had came back with his friends and they slaughtered and pillaged our village. One bandit used me as a hostage so my parents couldn't attack. He then killed my father. He told my mother that he would let me go if he could have his way with her. After she agreed, he released me but struck me on the back of my head. When I woke up, everyone was dead and the bandits were gone. I can only think he thought I was dead and left me."

I grabbed the towel from Sango and started to dry off. Kagome, now dressed, looked at me with tear filled eyes. After I got dressed, she hugged me tightly. "I-I'm so sorry."

Hugging back, "It's okay, Kagome. It still hurts at times, but I'm getting through it. Besides, there are more important things to focus on."

Not long after, we made our way back to camp. When we arrived, Inuyasha had already started cooking the fish he caught. Sango and Kagome walked over to Shippo and Kirara and sat down with them. I chose to go sit on the opposite side of camp to be alone for a moment. Though I could see that would not be the case as Inuyasha got up and started walking to me.

"I heard everything you told them," he stated as he sat next to me.

"I should have known you would. After all, you are part Inu yokai."

"When Kagome goes bathe, I keep my distance but stay close enough incase something happens."

I smiled at him, "Don't worry that doesn't make me think you are a pervert. Inu are protective, especially of their pack. It makes sense you would be close by."

"Glad you say that. Didn't want you thinking I was like Miroku," he laughed. "Although, your scent and lavender eyes make sense now."

Besides having clairvoyance, my lavender eyes are another hint at my ancestors. Many Senrigan had lavender eyes. Though it's not a human eye color, it was a common one to have in my village. Other than my eyes, I look perfectly human. Long black hair, pale skin, and a thin but slightly muscular build. Wait, did he say my scent was weird?

"What do you mean about my scent?"

"Well, you smell human but not completely if that makes sense. Though not like you are half yokai either."

"That makes sense given the history of my family. That just means I'll have to watch out about that."

He grinned, "Don't worry, you have nothing to worry about. I'll kill anything that gets in our way." Kagome started motioning to us that the food was cooked. "And I won't say anything to anyone just like she promised." With that, he walked towards the center of the camp.

I smiled and started to follow. I'm glad I can trust them. I didn't fully trust them the first time I met them, but after some time with them, I've begun to understand the type of people they are. I just hope I can prevent from anyone else finding out.

After everyone ate, we all got ready to go to bed. Exhausted from helping the village earlier, we all fell asleep easily. Though I wish I would have slept peacefully.

* * *

Tear filled golden eyes stared down at me. It took me a moment to realize I was looking at a man. A blue crescent moon was at the center of his forehead. Magenta striped lined his eyelids and his cheeks. His silver hair was tucked behind his elf like ears.

Something was causing him great pain. I couldn't tell what it was though. I wanted to ask what was wrong, yet no words came out. The drops of his tears onto my face was the only thing that was breaking the silence between us. For some reason, I didn't like seeing him cry. His face was making my heart break. Who is he? And why do I feel like this?

"Don't die on me, Kimiko."

Then all of a sudden, he was gone and darkness took his place.

* * *

 ***Senrigan means clairvoyance.**

 **I couldn't think of a name for those type of yokai so please forgive me ^.^"**

 **If you have any ideas on the name, let me know :3**


	3. Chapter 3

All I saw was darkness.

"Kimi-"

Huh? Was someone calling me?

"Kimiko! Wake up!"

Realizing someone was shaking me, I opened my eyes. I saw a big red and white blur in my face. After blinking a few times, I realized it was Inuyasha. He seemed worried.

Still feeling a bit disoriented, I slowly looked around to see my surroundings. It seemed the whole group was surrounding me, their expressions matching his. Something was wrong. however, it seemed we were not in danger. So what has them like this?

Seeing I was finally awake, Inuyasha slightly backed away from me. "Finally you wake up! We've been trying to wake you up for the longest!"

"Is something wrong?"

"You were talking in your sleep," Shippo said from on top of Kagome's shoulder.

"Talking? More like screaming!" The Inu huffed. "We all woke up in a panic! You kept saying 'Wait come back!' 'Who are you?!' 'Don't leave me!' "

Slowly sitting up, I tried to think of why I would be screaming that. Was I having a nightmare? Everything was really fuzzy, but I tried my best to recall what happened. "I remember this.. woman? ...No.. it was a man. He was beautiful; I never saw anything like him before."

Inuyasha seemed to get irritated, "You woke us up because you were dreaming about some guy?!"

"Calm down Inuyasha, it's not like she can choose what she dreams or does in her sleep. Do I need to remind you how many times you screamed for Kikyo in your sleep," Kagome glared at him.

This seemed to bother the Inu more and he stood up and began to walk to the other side of the camp.

Not letting the subject of my dream drop, Sango wanted to know more. "Kimi, this man. Did you see him before? Was anything happening? Did he say anything?"

"I-I don't think I ever saw him before. Though he did look like Inuyasha. At least, the same hair and eye color. His ears were like a human's but pointy, a blue moon rested on his forehead, and magenta lined his eyes and his cheekbones."

Inuyasha stopped walking and seemed to have froze. Actually, Sango and I seemed to be the only ones acting normal because the others froze as well.

Coming back to his senses, Inuyasha turned and walked back to us. Kneeling next to us, he looked at me with a serious face. "Did he say anything? Was anything happening?!"

Confused, I started to shake my head but stopped, "He.. he was crying. He was asking me not to die on him... Everything is really fuzzy... I can't remember it all."

Inuyasha seemed to be troubled by this. Sango seemed worried about the fact I was dying and the others seemed to be in shock.

"That's not possible. He wouldn't cry. He would be more willing to kill you than to cry for you."

I stared at Inuyasha even more confused, "This man, you know him?"

"He's my brother."

That surprised me a bit, but it does explain the resemblance. "You must be half-brothers then. He seemed to be full yokai."

He just nodded.

"If you do not know him, how is it that you are dreaming of him? And why would you dream he was crying because you were dying?" Everyone looked to Miroku, who apparently snapped out of it.

Sighing, I then made Shippo and Miroku make the same promise as the others. There was no way to explain this with a believable lie. Dancing around the question wasn't an option either considering this would only happen again. After they swore to never tell, I shared with them my story.

==OOO==

A few days ago, Miroku fought a mantis yokai and ended up damaging his wind tunnel. He had gone to get it repaired by Mushin, the monk who raised him, but the monk was possessed by a yokai. We later found out that the yokai was working for Naraku. After having his wind tunnel repaired, we thought it best to continue our hunt for Naraku and the jewel shards.

Currently, as we are walking Kagome is talking about "school" and how the others think she should give it up. She is also talking about comments her brother made about her "grades" and complaining about things he did or said.

I tune in and out, never fully paying attention. I don't understand fully of what she talks about, but I do know it is important for her. Even if most of the group disagrees that it is. From what she describes, her school can affect how well off she will be in her life in the future. Honestly, I can't fault her for taking it seriously while she is here. When everything is over, can we honestly say that Kagome will stay in the past? Will the well continue to let her travel back and forth? Or will it suck her up back to her time?

To tell her to give it up completely, in my opinion, is rude and says that you have no interest or care about her well being in the years to come. However, its understandable as to why they say such things. They have trouble grasping the idea, after all, Kagome is separated by centuries from us. Even I barely understand.

Deciding to tune out from her conversation completely, I begin to think of the man from my dream. Well, vision would most likely be the better term for it. I believe Kagome said his name was Sesshomaru.

Killing perfection. Perfection describes his looks accurately but the term doesn't seem to fit with what I saw. He looked vulnerable and hurt. Broken even. Yet, I can't expect to know the man from just a glimpse at the possible future. He could very well be a true murderous fiend. Only time can truly tell.

All of a sudden, a sense of dread washed over me, pulling me from my thoughts. Something is wrong. I don't know how I know, but I can feel it. I glance at the members of my group. Shippo and Kirara seem off. Inuyasha glances at me for a second and I instantly know he feels the same way.

As he sniffs the air, an injured man walks to us from the top of the hill in front of us. He struggles towards us and before we can even begin to run to his aide, he falls and tumbles down the hill. When he finally stopped rolling, he didn't move.

As we surrounded the man, Miroku checked for a pulse. "He's dead. He probably died when he began to fall."

I stared at his body to see his wounds. "No sword did this.."

Before I could finish, Inuyasha interrupted, "He's not the only one. The air is filled with the scent of blood."

Hearing this, they started running from where the man came. After closing his eyes, I inspected his wounds once more to make sure I was right. I then ran to catch up to them. No sword had killed this man. The weapon matches very closely to a demon hunter. I'm sure Sango noticed this too. I can only hope that this has nothing to do with Naraku or some type of plan to use her.

Arriving at the village, we knew we were too late. Dead bodies were everywhere and most of the houses were burned down. For a moment, flashbacks played throughout my mind. I shook my head of the images. Now was no time to think of the past.

"We need to look for survivors," Kagome yelled and began to walk forward.

Sango placed a hand in front of Kagome, stopping her. She then grabbed a rock and threw it at a hut, causing it to blow up. "Don't move! The area is full of traps!"

Miroku cursed, "Anyone that would help to bury the dead would be killed!"

That feeling of dread washed over me again. Something was wrong. Clearly, it was not bandits. They wouldn't use this type of weapon. Nor would they bother to set traps for anyone who helps the dead. No. Whoever did this has a goal. They would have to be trying to kill someone in particular. The fact we just so happen to be here in time for it is to much to be a coincidence. Someone is after us or one of us. My bet is that it's Naraku.

Inuyasha growled and dashed towards a building. He pulled out his sword and cut it down. "Come out!"

A shadow dashed out from within and stood in front of us. Sango and I stared in shock.

"No way he did this," Kagome stated, "he's just a little kid."

Inuyasha tried to interrogate him, but the boy remained silent. Irritated, Inuyasha started swinging his sword and I quickly snapped out of my shock.

"Inuyasha! Don't! That's Kohaku!"

"Wha-"

Seeing that Inuyasha was caught off guard, he decided to run from us. Growling, Inuyasha started to chase him, however, stepped on a trap and flew backward from an explosion. Hearing his name, Sango came back to her senses and ordered Kirara to change. As they began to take off, I jumped onto the big cat at the last second.

"Sango..," I adjusted myself to sit better on Kirara, "I know how you must feel right now.. but.. he can't be alive. Not on his own. Naraku-"

"I KNOW," she yelled. Tears started to fill up in her eyes, "but if there's a chance I can save him.. or let him rest in peace.."

I sighed in understanding. Nothing I say will make her turn around from this very obvious trap. I can only stay with her and do my best to protect her. Normally, I wouldn't have to worry about her since she can keep her own, but I can't risk that. Not in the state she's in.

As we started to close in on Kohaku, a barrier appeared. Allowing only Kirara and Sango inside, it sent me flying back and falling to the ground. Expecting the worst I closed my eyes and waited for the hard impact that never came. Instead, I felt arms wrap around me and pull me into a warm chest.

"Are you ok?"

I opened my eyes and looked up at a worried Inu. "Yeah. Hitting the barrier hurt, but I'm fine. Thank you for catching me Inuyasha."

As the others caught up, we had no choice but to wait for the barrier to go down or for Sango to hopefully walk out unharmed.

==OOO==

It wasn't long until the barrier came down. We had run to Sango, who then informed us that Naraku wanted to show her that he was using Kohaku as a puppet thanks to a jewel shard. We headed back to the village. I had tried to comfort her, but seeing that she needed to be alone, I stayed near the others. Kirara had managed to find all the traps without triggering them, allowing us to bury the villagers.

As we were burying the dead, Inuyasha made a comment that if Sango didn't kill Kohaku, he would. Then he had the nerve to ask her how she felt about that. She glared in response and walked away. For someone who claims his brother is heartless, Inuyasha doesn't seem all that different at times.

When the sun started to set, we called it a night. After eating, we prepared to go to sleep. However, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't stop replaying everything in my head. I started to imagine Kohaku killing the villagers. Sweet, innocent, kind Kohaku murdering innocent people that he never even knew. The image twisted my stomach into knots. The fact that Naraku was using him...

I opened my eyes when I heard Sango move around. I waited to see if she was having a nightmare or struggling to sleep just like me. Continuing to hear the movement, I was about to sit up until Inuyasha spoke up.

"What's wrong Sango?"

"Oh... I-I can't sleep."

"Sango... I meant what I said about Kohaku."

"Inuyasha! I already told you how I felt about this matter!"

"The truth is if I was in your position," he paused, "I don't think I could do it. Not to someone I cared so much about."

Apparently, Kagome also couldn't sleep because she sat up and joined the conversation. Deciding I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon either, I also sat up. Before I could say anything, Miroku also sat up on guard.

"We're surrounded," he stated as he began to grab his weapon.

Everyone rushed outside to prepare for whoever was approaching. Before long, Kohaku appeared along with dozens of yokai. Sango froze not knowing what to do.

"Heh, if I take out the ringleader, all of those yokai are toast!" Inuyasha charged forward to Kohaku.

Quickly pulling out Tessaiga, he began to swing. Kohaku dodged each swing with ease and wrapped the sword with the chain attached to his scythe. No longer able to use his sword to cut Kohaku down, he used the chain to his advantage. With all his might, he swung his sword causing the chain to pull Kohaku along with it and slammed him into the ground. After setting Tessaiga free, Inuyasha jumped up and prepared for the final blow.

Watching the situation unfold, I stood there not knowing what to do. Do I allow him to end it? Or can we actually save Kohaku?

Unlike me, Kagome already made up her mind. "INUYASHA, STOP!"

He slammed his sword down into the ground, missing Kohaku's face by a hair. Obviously struggling with what to do, the Inu result to punching the kid.

"You know what, I should die," Everyone froze in shock that Kohaku talked. "I killed my comrades and my own father. I also attacked my sister." Taking his scythe, he then stabbed himself in the back and started reaching for the jewel shard.

"If he does that.. He'll die," I stated as I continued watching. What do I do?

"Enough!" Sango yelled and threw Hiraikotsu at Tessaiga, reverting it back to its original form.

Using this opening, Kohaku fled onto of a yokai. Before anyone could react, Sango grabbed Tessaiga and flew after him on Kirara.

"Sango! What are you doing?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"We need to follow after them now! Before she gets herself killed!" I tied my katana so it would be strapped to my waist. "Inuyasha, can you track their scent?"

"Yeah, I can still smell his blood."

After Kagome got her bow and arrows, she climbed on Inuyasha's back. Shippo climbed onto Miroku. The two of us followed after them on foot, barely keeping up with Inuyasha's speed.

When we arrived at the castle Naraku has been hiding at, we heard Sango scream. Running in that direction, we saw Kirara collapsed on the ground and Sango laying at Kohaku's feet. As the others stopped to see Kirara first, I ran to Sango. Seeing that she was still breathing and she wasn't going to die, I then checked on Kohaku.

His eyes no longer seemed glazed over as in a trance. Maybe he's breaking through Naraku's hold on him. Watching him stare at Sango and shaking, I hugged him tightly; whispering soothing words. If Kohaku could be saved, I would do all I can to do so.

Kagome and the others surrounded Sango and relaxed seeing she was alright.

"He tried to trick Sango into hating her brother. The same way he tried to trick Inuyasha and Kikyo. But no matter what, Sango could never hate her little brother. She loves him so much," Kagome rubbed her hand through Sango's hair trying to soothe her.

All of a sudden, a purple smoke made a dome around us, blowing at a harsh speed.

"Foolish mortals! Now you can all die together in this sea of poison!"

As we looked around for a way out, Sango weakly took out a slayer mask and put it onto Kohaku.

Kagome took out her bow and aimed an arrow at a building. "There!" She let the reiki filled arrow go and shot Naraku through his right shoulder. Blowing up a good portion of the building with it. Dumbstruck, Naraku didn't move. She aimed another arrow and shot at him again. This time Naraku decided to escape at the last second, but not before a major part of him was destroyed.

The poisonous winds were replaced with two strong cyclones that were pulling the castle apart. As we all tried to hold on to something to avoid getting sucked up, Kohaku was lifted into the air and taken away with the villainous hanyo.

When the castle was fully gone, the winds subsided. Kagome went to Inuyasha's side and I stayed with Sango.

Seeing that she was trying to stand, "What are you doing? You're hurt. Sit down."

Hearing me, the others gathered around us. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered.

"We understand that Naraku was using your brother to give him the sword," Mirkou began.

"Exactly! I'll end up betraying you again!"

"Sango," I hugged her. "We are here for you. This isn't something you can do alone. We'll save him together. We'll defeat Naraku together. I promise."

Crying, she hugged back and nodded.

"Since that is settled. Let's tend to your wounds," Kagome brought bandages and salves towards Sango and sat by her side.

As we were tending to Sango, an image played in my head.

"Kimi? Are you ok," Sango looked at me worried. "You've been staring into space for a few minutes."

I smiled and nodded. "I just saw Kohaku and a girl in orange playing together. As they were playing, I sat against a tree watching them alongside a.. kappa?"

The possibility of Kohaku being himself again brought Sango to tears.

Inuyasha frowned. "A kappa?"

I nodded and shrugged. "I know. It sounds a little weird but that's what I saw. He looked upset and was waving a staff around. I seemed happy though, so I'm assuming all was- will be well."

Inuyasha grumbled and walked away. Does he not like kappas?


	4. Chapter 4

After a few run-ins with Kikyo and Naraku, the jewel shards were stolen by Kikyo. Weirdly enough, Inuyasha seems to be okay with this. Shippo made comments that it's only because it was Kikyo who stole them. No matter what, we lost the shards we managed to get and still have yet to collect more even though it has been weeks.

Currently, we are all gathered around Totosai, the man who forged Tessaiga, or so he says. To be honest, I'm more focused on if he is a human or a yokai. His bull is definitely not a normal bull. So maybe a yokai? He looks so human though. Well, the demon slayers taught me that some yokai can look human, usually really powerful ones. Yet, I'm having a hard time viewing him as all-powerful.

Seeing that Inuyasha is now threatening the man with Tessaiga, I focus back on the conversation.

"I can master Tessaiga. I just need practice," Inuyasha stated cockily, resting the sword on his shoulder.

"Inuyasha," I sighed. "Drop your ego for one moment. Think logically. How many times has it been a close call between life and death? How long will you remain lucky? Isn't it better for you to know how to actually use Tessaiga versus you swinging it around hoping it does something here and there?"

He glared at me and I could tell he was going to say he can do it on his own. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the tree. "You're right. You can do this by yourself! It's not like we're hunting a powerful hanyo or anything. Nor are we hunting for jewel shards which if something has more than one of, it will be incredibley strong. You're right, getting lucky in a few fights is better for us!"

He growled. "Fine." He placed Tessaiga back into its sheath. "What do I have to do old man?"

"First, I should tell you that someone has threatened my life unless I make him a sword stronger than Tessaiga! I need you to protect me from him," Totosai began to shake.

"Heh, what does this guy look like?"

"Well," Totosai gulped, "He has long, white hair and he's dressed in white."

"What? Is it another old guy?"

"No, he's young," he seemed to get more nervous by the second.

"Hmm," Kagome started pondering out loud, "young, white hair, wants a powerful sword."

I just stare at them. Based on what I have seen of him and what they told me he was like, I could easily think of his brother. Are they really having this much trouble putting it together?

"He's here!" Totosai jumped up.

Finally sensing a presence, we all look to the sky in the east and see a man riding a two-headed dragon.

"Who is that?" Sango asked.

"Inuyasha's older brother," Miroku answered.

Sesshomaru stared straight at his brother, "Inuyasha, why do you conspire against me with Totosai."

Peeping out from behind Inuyasha, Totosai replies, "Perhaps because you are evil incarnate?"

"Totosai, it sounds like you want an early retirement into your grave."

The old man hid back behind Inuyasha, "I'm sorry! How about I make you your sword after you two have it out!"

Kagome glared at him. "Coward!"

I have to agree there. This man seems to have no backbone. As I stare at the older brother, I try to compare him to the vision I had. So far he doesn't seem terrible. Slightly rude but not terrible. Maybe he is less prone to resorting to a fight unlike Inuyasha. One can only hope.

"You hear that Inuyasha? After I kill you, I will get my sword."

"Damn, so much for me thinking maybe he is actually nice. He is hotter in person though," I muttered.

Both Inu's turned and stared at me. One looking irritated and the other with a stoic expression. My eyes widen as I realize I probably said that out loud. However, they seem to be the only ones who heard it.

"HA! Kimiko thinks Sesshomaru is hot! No one thinks that about you Inuyasha!" Shippo taunted.

The others looked at me in surprise. And now they know I said it too. Great. Thanks, Shippo...

Inuyasha growled, "Shut up!"

"To be honest girl, I really think you need your eyes checked. I look way better than these two," Totosai decided to add.

I groaned, "Okay, can we let go of the thing I so embarrassingly said out loud? I was just making a comparison to the dream I had of him, alright?"

"Hmph. The human girl dreams of me?" He stared at me more for a moment before jumping down and landing in front of me. "Although, you don't seem entirely human. You're eyes suggest otherwise." He inhaled slightly. "So would your scent. Tell me girl, what are you?"

"Um... Could the two of you just fight or something? Don't you want a sword?"

"Do you deny this Sesshomaru answers?"

"Well, I mean I'm not going anywhere. Not like I could outrun you anyway... But you seem to be after something more important than information about me so..."

"Hn."

As he turned away I could feel the heat slowly going from my face. Wait, I'm blushing? When did I start to blush?! Seeing that I was having a internal struggle, Sango nudged me. Now alert to the fact that the two were fighting, I made sure to back away.

Inuyasha kept swinging at Sesshomaru, but his movements were too slow. His brother easily kept hitting him from different angles.

"Myoga, are you sure this boy unlocked the power of Tessaiga before," Totosai asked.

"Hey! It's the truth! He even sent Sesshomaru running with his tail between his legs!" Kagome defended.

"Are you sure weren't dreaming?"

I sighed. If something didn't happen soon, Sesshomaru will end up killing him. I silently prayed to the Kami. Please help me to figure out some way to at least distract Sesshomaru. Instantly, I could hear a phrase in my head being said by a male voice. Although confused by it, I decided it was best to not waste time and give it a try.

I ran forward slightly and yelled, "Tell me, Sesshomaru have you someone to protect!"

As he grabbed Inuyasha by the wrist, Sesshomaru paused, glared at me and growled. "How do you know about that?"

Seeing the opening, Totosai spit lava from his mouth causing the area to be one huge lava pit. Sesshomaru let go of his younger brother and jumped back. The steam from the lava was so thick, it gave us a chance to get away. Though before we left, I could see his golden eyes staring me down.

==OOO==

After we escaped on Kirara and Totosai's bull, we found a safe spot and built camp near a river. Totosai explained how just like their father had Tessaiga crafted, he also had Tenseiga made.

"Tessaiga was to go to the youngest and Tenseiga was for the oldest. It was the wish of your father."

Kagome seemed puzzled. "I don't understand. If their father gave him a sword, why doesn't he use it?"

"Tenseiga cannot cut."

Inuyasha seemed to be puzzled now. "How do you use it to fight then?"

"Tessaiga was made to cut down one hundred demons in one sweep. The Tenseiga was made to save one hundred in one sweep. It is a sword of healing, not one for against foes. If the bearer has true kindness of heart towards humanity, it can save lives."

"In trying times like these, one could easily revive an army during a war," Miroku added. "They would be unstoppable."

"Ah! So that's why Sesshomaru can't use it! It's not possible for him to be kind," Inuyasha exclaimed.

Shaking my head, I thought back to my vision. "For him to care for others is not entirely impossible. Anyone can change with time, especially if they have help and encouragement to do so. Besides, to call him truly evil would most likely be false. With Inuyasha's speed at the time, he could have killed his little brother easily."

This seemed to anger the Inu. Before he could say anything, however, Kagome spoke up. "So then, why didn't he?"

"That's the point I'm trying to make. At the time, I even believed he was trying to kill Inuyasha. However, since we are now able to relax and dwell on things, I can easily see how many openings Sesshomaru had to be able to kill Inuyasha. Combine that with something I told you all I saw, it would all suggest that Sesshomaru is not entirely a monster. Narcissistic, but not a mindless, bloodthirsty killer.

If anything, it reminded me of training with your father, Sango." Turning to the demon slayer, "I was not raised to fight from birth like you were. You thought he was going to kill me because he fought me as though I was an equal to him. Yet, I didn't die. I grew stronger, learned my openings, and even could see his with time."

"Are you suggesting that Sesshomaru is training Inuyasha," she asked.

I nodded and Inuyasha scoffed.

"As if! He hates anything that is not him! He has always wanted me dead and to say that he possibly is kind is nonsense!"

Kagome seemed to think on all that I had said. "It may be true by a chance. A very small chance. But he has such a huge ego, he wouldn't be happy even if he could use the sword."

Totosai stared at the almost finished pig that was tied up above a fire. "Even so, too bad this is not working out. It was your father's last wish after all."

Seeing that the pig was done, Shippo began to get excited for food. Before anyone could try to grab it, Totosai picked it up and swallowed it whole.

My stomach growled in hunger and I quickly became enraged. "You couldn't share?!"

Everyone must have also been as angry because, they surrounded Totosai with murderous intent.

==OOO==

Not long after the sun rose, we prepared to head out. Totosai left on his bull, claiming Inuyasha was not much protection for him. When we could no longer see him, we headed the opposite way.

We only walked a few yards before we could hear something running our way. Turning to look behind us, we see Totosai running towards us followed by a bright light in the sky. The light then flew from the sky and into the ground, causing an explosion that sent Totosai and his bull flying towards us.

The smoke cleared and revealed Sesshomaru. For a moment, he looked at me as though I was his prey. I felt that the center of his attention was a very bad place to be. One might think I won't die by his hand due to my vision, but the future is never certain. I can cause my visions to come true or I can prevent them. And by the way he looked at me, I'm most certainly going to die soon by his hand. As he turned his gaze from me to look at his brother, I released a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru and directed a question to Totosai, who was now hiding behind him. "Are you ever going to make him a sword?"

"N-No!"

"Ya hear that Sesshomaru? You might as well leave!"

Seeing that Sesshomaru had not bothered to budge, Inuyasha pulled out Tessaiga. The oldest accepted the challenged and charged Inuyasha head on. He grabbed Tessaiga with a green claw and electricity began to spark between the two.

"You'll never defeat me. Not without the wind scar!"

The younger Inu tried to swing Tessaiga, causing Sesshomaru to jump away.

"Got another arm for me to hack away at I see!"

"This replacement arm can act as a shield against Tessaiga's barrier."

"That's a dragon's claw," Sango exclaimed. "It'll be far stronger than some demon's arm. But what does he intend to do with it?"

"He kind of just said what it's for," I muttered under my breath.

Instead of charging back in, Sesshomaru stands there, looking at Tessaiga. "The Tessaiga is quite amazing. Even without its true bearer, a dragon's claw is no match against it. However, why doesn't it reveal it's 'Wind Scar' to the one it has allowed into its barrier? Tessaiga…cut through the empty space! Reveal your true power!"

Totosai's eyes widen, "Could it be? Can Sesshomaru see the wind scar?"

Kagome looked at him confused, "Wind scar?"

"Simply put, the secret to mastering the Tessaiga. Slaying a hundred demons is impossible without the Wind Scar.'"

"Well then can you teach it to Inuyasha?! Right now!"

"It is not something you can teach. He must discoverer it himself. If not he will die here."

Changing my gaze from them to Sesshomaru, I start to think of what he said. 'Cut through the empty space.' Did he just say how to use it? I close my eyes and focus on the two Inu's as they fight. I continue to hear the other comment on the battle and I hear Sesshomaru beating against the blade, causing it to cry out.

I shake my head. I need to tune it all out. Focus on them, on their energy. The more I begin to focus, I slowly can feel their energy, the winds that are colliding against each other. Opening my eyes in realization, I run forward.

"Stay back!" Inuyasha yells as he tries to block against his brother.

"Inuyasha! Focus! Focus on you and him! Focus and you can feel it! Find the opening and slice through!"

Inuyasha seemed confused, but Sesshomaru glared at me.

'Huh, so I am right. Annnd he's probably not happy I caught on to what he said. Great.'

Inuyasha manages to push Sesshomaru back again. However, Sesshomaru quickly charges back at him, closing the little distance that was gained between them. As he goes for another strike against Tessaiga, his fist collides with Inuyasha's forehead.

Blood trickles down his face, "I haven't broken in this sword yet and I'm not about to let it go!"

Sesshomaru growls and emits poison from his hand, causing Inuyasha to jump back in pain. After wiping his face for a moment, he stares at Sesshomaru with dull eyes.

"I think the poison affected his vision!" Beginning to worry about the worst, I place my hand on my katana, ready to charge in if needed.

For a few moments, he continues to stare at his older brother. As I start to walk forward to help him out, I see him lift Tessaiga and swing it with heavy force. Feeling the energy that is being emitted from the swing, I joined the rest of the group, taking cover behind the bull.

As the light and power from the blast subsided, we got up and examined the battlefield. Sesshomaru was gone and long scars covered the ground.

Slouching to the ground, Inuyasha asks, "Is it over?"

==OOO==

After the battle was over, we went towards a river so that Inuyasha could tend to his eyes. The others talked about Sesshomaru like he was dead, yet I feel that is not the case. Surely something would have been left behind, right?

"So that's the wind scar," Inuyasha inquires as he drinks water from a river.

"That it was," Totosai affirms. "Now listen. I will praise you for finally seeing the Wind Scar. However, all it means is that you can do what Sesshomaru can. Actually, he has become even more formidable."

"You talk as though he still lives," Miroku points out.

"In that battle, Sesshomaru's life was protected by the Tenseiga," Totosai explains as he sharpens Tessaiga. "Amidst the light and power being released by the Tessaiga, the Tenseiga protected Sesshomaru. It acted on its own judgement."

I looked at Totosai confused, "On its own?"

He nodded at me and I pondered on the fact that the sword had some type of awareness. So then Tessaiga must too.

"He despised the sword and in the end, it ended up saving his life. He must not think it's useless anymore," Kagome declared.

Totosai handed Inuyasha Tessaiga and proceeded to get on his bull. "Well, I sharpened the sword. Now, you just have to keep training to be able to defeat Sesshomaru and Tenseiga."

Waving goodbye to Totosai as he left, I started wondering if their father planned for this to happen. Was it even possible for the brothers to truly defeat each other?

As we continue to travel along the path, the opposite way Totosai went, Kagome stops for a moment.

"What's the matter, Kagome? You've been so quiet," Sango asks her worriedly.

"Hmm… It's very slight, but I can sense a Sacred Jewel fragment."

Inuyasha quickly turned around, excitedly, "Is that true, Kagome?! In which direction?"

Sighing, my hopes for the rest of the day being nice and quiet no longer have a chance. Once Kagome gets a better sense of which direction the shards are, we waste no time and run as fast as we can.

After a while of running, we arrive to a village. Bodies lay everywhere, torn to shreds. I examine quickly that besides the villagers, nothing looks out of place. No burned house and none of the villager's things are scattered anywhere. Considering the fact that these people seem to look like something ate them, bandits are safely ruled out.

Sango kneels to the ground and places her hand on a track in the dirt. "Look, wolf tracks."

"And many of them," Miroku added. "Could this be from the Sacred Jewel fragment Kagome sensed?"

As if on cue, a pack of wolves comes out of hiding and circles us.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, "It seems their leader isn't here."

He charged at the wolves, easily slicing three a time with his claws. Two more try to jump him from behind. Inuyasha spins around quickly, fatally slicing their abdomens. Seeing that they aren't strong enough, the rest of the pack run onto a mound and begin to howl for reinforcements. Within minutes, a tornado comes racing towards us.

"I sense jewel shards," Kagome exclaims.

The whirlwind dissipates and reveals a young man dressed in fur. The wolves quickly gather around him. He looks around at the dead wolves and glares at us.

"Why did you kill them," he growls.

Inuyasha grits his teeth, "So you're their leader!"

"What of it? You killed my dear wolves! I won't forgive you!"

Angry from the murders that took place, I walk up to the yokai and jab a finger into his chest. I stare into his eyes angry, "You dare complain about these wolves? You had them kill an entire village!"

Glaring at me, he grabbed my hand tightly and pulled it away without letting go. "I was letting them feed."

"FEED?! In terms of food, I am sure you could have found some type of animal! Just because not all humans are strong does not mean that they are inferior and deserve to be treated lesser than you! It's entirely possible for yokai and humans to live together in peace, but idiots like you make that near impossible!"

Before I could even continue yelling at him, Inuyasha grabbed the back of my clothes and jumped back; pulling me out of the yokai's grip and into a safe zone.

"Are you stupid?! Wolf breath could've easily killed you," Inuyasha berates.

The yokai fumed, "What did you call me, you dog?!"

"What did you say?!"

"I hate the smell of dogs." He yelled, "It makes me sick to the stomach!"

Inuyasha pushed me back and scoffed, "Well then, I'll slit that belly in two and let some air through!"

He leaping into the air, he swung Tessaiga at the wolf yokai, who quickly dodged it. Before Inuyasha can turn around, the yokai leaps, turns into a mini-whirlwind and dives at Inuyasha. He managed to dodge the whirlwind, but quickly received a kick in the face that sent him flying. Seeing him land at my feet, I quickly help Inuyasha up.

"Inuyasha, watch out! He's using the power of the Sacred Jewel! His right arm and both legs!"

"Damn! Why didn't you say so earlier?! That explains why you're acting so cocky! It's just the power of the Sacred Jewel!"

"Inuyasha," I add in, "we came this way because she sensed the jewel shards. Did you not piece together the puzzle?"

"Shut up!"

Sighing, I turn to the wolf yokai. "You're of the wolf demon tribe, correct?"

Smirking, he replies, "Heh, feisty and smart. I'm the young leader of the Yorozoku. The name is Koga."

Koga leaps into the air again and attacks Inuyasha. As I go to help him, I hear growling coming from my side. Spinning around, I pulled my katana out in enough time to block a wolf from biting me. Quickly pushing it away, I run to the group and take a defensive stance against the wolves who are beginning to circle us.

"Kirara," Sango exclaims.

Immediately, the two-tailed cat transforms and roars at the wolves. Upon seeing Kirara, the wolves turn and flee.

"They ran with their tail in between their legs! Now it's up to Inuyasha," Shippo shouts.

We turn to see the inu struggling against the speed of the wolf. Deciding to change his tactics, Inuyasha stops swinging and begins to focus. Feeling the familiar pressure from the attack early, we begin to find a safe place to take cover. However, before we can do so, the fight is over.

"Hey, retreat! This is dangerous," Koga yells to any wolves that stayed close, before quickly retreating himself.

"W-what the-," Inuyasha watched confused.

"He ran away. Considering he doesn't know about Tessaiga, his instincts must have told him he was in danger," I comment as I walk to the still confused inu.

Transforming Tessaiga to its original form, Inuyasha sheathes it. "Yeah. Guess he was all talk."

==OOO==

We spent the rest of our day burying those slain by the wolf tribe. When the sunset, Kagome, Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and me all went inside a hut and prepared camp. Inuyasha went off with Kirara to practice more with the wind scar.

Sitting around the small fire we had me, we waited for our supper to cook.

Gazing at me, Sango sighed. "That was entirely reckless, Kimi. He could have easily killed you! And then even before that, you kept getting Sesshomaru's attention!"

Making a face, I stared at the fire. "Maybe it was reckless, but he needed to be put in his place! I'm tired of humans who hate yokai or yokai who hate humans! Peace is possible! My ancestors went into hiding, always hoping for a chance things would change. I'm not giving up on that dream. If I can change even one person's mind, I'll do it. Even if it kills me."

"Even so, do it safely. There was no reason to go straight up to him and challenge him!"

"Fine. I'll _try_ to be more careful from now on. As for Sesshomaru, I was trying to help Inuyasha!"

"Oh," Shippo giggles. "Calling Sesshomaru hot is helping Inuyasha?"

I facepalmed my face. "That was an accident! I thought I was thinking it in my head!"

"You don't deny your attraction to him," Miroku smirks as he slowly scoots over to Sango.

"I-I-I... Fine! Okay?! Sesshomaru is really good looking! I'm not saying I want to make babies with him or anything! It's just a natural attraction! I mean none of you can say he's ugly!"

"I'm attractive am I?"

I look to my left and see Sesshomaru sitting next to me, staring at me. I scream and jump away. After backing myself up against a wall, I notice 'Sesshomaru' had a bushy, tan tail.

Taking off my shoe, I growl and throw it at him. "That's not funny, Shippo!"

Having been hit with the shoe, he reverted back to his normal self with a huge knot on his head. Everyone except the two of us, busted out laughing.

"Ugh! I'm going to bed," I exclaimed as I went lay on my makeshift cot.

Chuckling, Miroku slowly slid his hand behind Sango. "Aw, it was all in good fun Kimi- OWW!"

"Perverted monk," Sango yelled.

* * *

 **Well, that's two chapters in two days! What do you guys think? Bad? Good? Leave me feedback!**

 **I also apologize for any grammar mistakes or if the story doesn't seem that great!**

 **I am hoping to improve!**


	5. Chapter 5

As the sun started to rise, I woke up. Seeing that everyone was still asleep, silently I made my way from in the old hut to outside. Rays of the sun's light barely lit up the sky from behind the mountains in the distance. Still feeling a bit tired, I walked from the open field towards the thick, dark forest. The forest top hardly had any openings allowing none of the slowly rising sun's light in, causing it to still look as though it was night. Squinting my eyes to see, I slowly walked towards a pond hidden within. Kneeling, I slipped a hand into the water to test the temperature and shivered; the water was cold. Quickly, I cupped my hands, shoved them into the freezing water, and threw them up to splash the water on my face. After repeating a few times, I removed a white cloth I had tied around my upper arm and used it to dry my face. I then placed the cloth on a low hanging branch to dry for a moment.

Feeling more awake, I took a moment to examine my reflection. Long, silky, black hair looked as though the wind had blown it in every direction. My short yukata reached only a few inches above my knee. It had no sleeves, allowing easier movement during fights. White, metal bracers trimmed with a rose gold covered my arms below my elbows. The white, cotton yukata was trimmed in the peach and had butterflies of the same color decorating the right side towards the bottom. The obi tied around my waist was also peach and had a bit of rose gold color to it.

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to comb it so it would look somewhat decent. Once satisfied, I withdrew a ribbon from a small pouch on my backside and used it to tie my hair into a ponytail, causing my hair to now reach just a little above my waist. "It's getting time to cut it again," I noted. Looking up to see that the sun rose enough to let a good amount of light shine through the forest, I decided to head back and wake whoever may still be asleep. I made sure to grab the cloth from the branch and tied it back around my upper right arm.

Walking through the trees, my mind seemed to wander towards Sesshomaru. I hardly know anything about him, but it would seem I am extremely interested in him. The reason for it, I do not know. Sure, he is gorgeous, however, that has nothing to do with how I feel. There has to be more to him than he lets others see. Perhaps I cannot stop thinking about him because of that. The strong curiosity to know causing me to keep thinking of him until I figure it out.

What if there was nothing more to him than what people say? No. I feel as though that is completely wrong. Whatever the case, I will simply have to wait and see. Emerging out of the forest, I head towards the hut to join back with my comrades.

==OOO==

"All right! I got the wolf scent. I'll follow the scent and get them without fail!" Inuyasha quickly dropped on all fours and began sniffing the ground. "That cocky bastard! Calling me a 'mutt'!"

It has been a few hours since we left the hut. Inuyasha has been tracking Koga's scent which leads us to a canyon. We are currently walking along a path on the canyon's side. Well, Kagome, Inuyasha, and I are walking. Shippo is on Kagome while Sango, Miroku, and Kirara are flying around.

"I don't blame him for getting upset at being called a 'mutt.' But he sure looks like one," Shippo muttered while watching Inuyasha crawling around on the ground.

Inuyasha quickly stood up and faced us. "What?! Say that again, Shippo!"

Shippo decided to hide behind Kagome and I couldn't help but giggle. "You can't blame him Inuyasha. You are on your hands and feet trying to track Koga. Besides, Shippo is a child. Calm down and go easy on him. By quickly being angry and yelling at the top of your lungs, you are acting no better." Not giving him a chance to react, the others land near us. However, I instantly go on guard when I see that the three of them are all serious.

"You're too slow, Miroku! Where've you been," Inuyasha hollered.

"Inuyasha-," Miroku began to say before being interrupted by Sango.

"Everyone, look up!"

We all turned to look towards the top of the canyon's side to see a huge pack of wolves running down towards us. A few of them quickly pounce on Inuyasha, knocking him off the cliff. Two more groups attack Sango and Miroku each. Pulling out my katana, I stand in front of Kagome, ready to protect her in case any wolves try to attack. Koga leaps up from inside of the canyon, landing behind Kagome and me. He quickly grabs her, throwing her over his shoulder. As I try to quickly spin to rescue her, his other arm wraps around me and he quickly jumps in the air towards the other side of the canyon. As these events happen, I lose grip on my katana, causing it to fall to the bottom of the canyon. I quickly hear our friends call out after us.

"No! You're not reaching it! We're gonna fall," Kagome shrieks as Koga's feet hit the other canyon side and begins to run up it.

"Stop screaming! You're hurting my ears," he yelled.

"I will scream as much as I want!" Kagome continued to scream.

"Kagome! Please stop! Even I can barely take your screaming," I shut my eyes tight and hold my hands over my ears.

Koga continued to run up the cliff side and leaped into the air once more when reaching the top. After landing, he glanced back and smirked. "That'll teach him! No one can keep up with my legs."

Kagome glared at him, "Of course not! You have Sacred Jewel shards! When you cheat, you don't get bragging rights!"

"She does have a point," I add in.

No longer focusing on us, Koga's body becomes stiff as he looks into the air. Large moving shadows with wings appeared on the ground. Kagome stared at the shadows confused. "W-what? A bird? But isn't it awfully big for a bird?"

"It's not a regular bird, Kagome," I state as I look up at the flying creatures. A swarm of bird yokai circle us high in the air.

Koga glared at the yokai with anger. "Those stupid birds are gathering to come after me. Good timing… Oi. Now look hard. Do you see any among them with Sacred Jewel shards?"

"Jewel shards? No... None of them have any." She looked at Koga confused.

"So… None of 'em have it, huh? Then I've got no use for 'em." He began sprinting at a high speed again. "So long!"

Within no time, we lost bird yokai and soon made it to a waterfall where more wolf yokai came out to greet us. Just like Koga, they all looked human and were wrapped in fur. As they approached us, they looked at us like we were food. I gulped. Kagome would probably be spared due to her ability to sense shards. Me on the other hand, there was no reason to keep me alive. He doesn't know anything about me so what purpose is there for taking me as well? Actually, that is a really good question. I can't believe it's just running through my mind. Why the hell did he kidnap me too? I recall our first encounter and mentally gasp. Perhaps he wants to kill me for how I talked to him!

Koga greeted his men and began walking towards the waterfall. As we begin to enter, I try to get a glimpse of the outside. Afterall, chances are that I'm never leaving this cave. Not alive anyway. When we fully enter the cave, more yokai and wolves greet him. It's not long that they take notice of us.

"Hey, Koga! Tasty-looking prey!"

"Lemme have some of the girl in orange!"

Instantly, I froze and prepared myself for death. Then Koga spoke, confusing me even more. "These women are not food! I'll kill anyone who takes a bite outta them!" He walks over to a flatten haystack and drops us on it. As I ponder over what it is used for, wolves walk up to Koga and began sniffing his tail. He grabs his tell and lifts it, revealing a dazed Shippo holding onto it. "I forgot he grabbed onto my tail when I took them." He grabbed Shippo and threw him to the ground. "Here! You can eat him!"

The small kit panicked as wolves circled him. "Kagome! Kimiko!"

Kagome quickly stood up and ran to Koga. "Hey wait! You want my help, don't you? If you lay a land on Shippo, I refuse to help you!"

Wasting no time, I joined Kagome at her side. "Forget her not helping you! If anyone dares to harm any of them, I will skin you and your wolves!"

He chuckled at me and looked at Kagome. "That makes it easier for me then." He walked towards the wolves and picked one up. "Hey, move! What… You guys put on weight again! All of you are eating too much!" He moved the wolf to the side and grabbed Shippo. Turning towards us, he flung Shippo. "Here!"

She caught him and tried to soothe the small kit. Before I could check on him, more tribe members walked in carrying two of their comrades. "Move, move! We've got injured! Make way!" They placed them down in the center of the cave. While the tribe surrounded them, Koga made his way to them and started to look at their wounds. "Them again," he asked.

"Ya… They were suddenly attacked during guard duty. Only these two managed to escape. The others fell off the cliff," a male with grey and black hair answered.

Together, Kagome and I made our way to them. "Such terrible wounds... Who did this," she asked as she looked at Koga.

"You saw them earlier. They call themselves Birds of Paradise, but they're our natural enemies. This is their doing. They swoop down silently and capture our comrades with sharp talons."

"Then what do they do?"

"They eat them. Wolf bones are scattered around their nests." Koga walked towards the haystack and sat down. We walked towards him, but I was the only one to sit down with him. "One among the Birds of Paradise possesses a Sacred Jewel shard. He's faster than we are… he even killed 20 of our wolves in one swoop. They were never this strong before." He turned his gaze from his injured comrades to Kagome. "So it must be the power of the Sacred Jewel."

"That's why you want me to find which one has the shard."

He nodded. "We'll attack their nest and steal the shard. We won't make senseless sacrifices. We'll attack that one bird, with the shard. Got it?"

"All right, I'll do it."

"Wait a moment," I chimed in. They both switched their attention to me. I looked at Koga with a confused expression. "It's clear why you took Kagome, but why me? I cannot sense the jewel shards. The only thing I could do would be to fight, however, your tribe easily should be able to out power me."

Smirking, "Truthfully, you're here because of the stunt you did. No woman, let alone a human, has ever challenged me like that. I'm curious to know more about you." He leaned in close and sniffed me before returning back to his spot. "Plus the fact that there is something about your scent the I can't put my finger on..."

Awkwardly, I rub the back of my head. Choosing to ignore the thing about my scent, "Why would you be curious to know more about me?"

"I need to know all the types of traits you have if I am going to consider you to be my woman."

I stared at him in shock. "Y-Your woman?!" I started to wonder if it would have been better if he wanted to kill me. My life would probably be a lot simpler.

==OOO==

It's been about an hour since Koga said he was leaving to go on patrol. Currently, we are still inside the cave but the rest of his tribe is standing guard at the entrance. I'm good at fighting, but there is no way I can take out a whole tribe without a weapon. That's not even including the fact I would have to try to protect Kagome and Shippo. Speaking of Shippo, I did not see him. Turning around to look behind me, I saw Koga.

"Stand please," Shippo's voice said. He cleared his throat and said with more force, " I mean stand!"

Kagome looked at him frightened until she realized it was actually Shippo. Together we stood and walked in front of 'Koga'. As we got closer to the entrance, one of the tribe members decided to talk to 'Koga'.

"Hey, Koga! Where are you taking them?"

"I'm taking the women out for some fresh air. This place smells like animals," Shippo said trying to act normal.

"Hey, Ginta! Hakkaku! Accompany Koga."

"What are you talking about," another one asked. "All three of them went out on patrol an hour ago."

"Wha- then who was that."

As we stopped at the entrance, wolves went up to Shippo, sniffing his tail, and then quickly biting it. The pain cause Shippo to release his transformation and cry out. The tribe quickly got up and started closing in on us. After pushing the two of them through the waterfall, I grabbed a spear that was on the ground and ran behind them. Kagome quickly came to a stop as she came to the cliff's edge. The sudden stop almost made me crash into her.

"Shippo, you can fly, right," she asked.

"Yes, but I can't with both of you. Nor could I with just one!" He stared at Kagome with worry. She grabbed him off her shoulder and threw him off the cliff. Within a few seconds, he changed into a pink ball and started to fly away. Seeing this, one of the men throw a chain towards Shippo. Throwing the spear, I manage to get it tangled in the chain to prevent him from getting Shippo.

"Get Inuyasha! Hurry," Kagome calls out as he continues to fly away.

"You tricked us! I'll devour both of you!" As the man charged to us, a dead boar fell from the sky and onto him. Confused, everyone looked at the top of the mountain and saw Koga.

"What did I say about eating them," he roared.

The man begs for Koga to forgive him and the others continuously ask Koga to let them go after Shippo. He ignores them and jumps down, landing in front of us. Placing hand on his chin, he gazes at us. "Just to let your friend escape, huh? All right, decided! Both of you shall be my women!"

His men instantly began to protest along with Kagome. Shaking my head, I sighed. Koga is as hard headed as Inuyasha. There is no way nothing I say or do will make him give up on us. The sound of a hard slap brought me out of my thoughts. Looking up, I see a red hand print on Koga's face and a frustrated Kagome.

"H-hey…It's rude to claim a girl as your 'woman'. Besides, I already have someone I'm seeing," she stated while blushing. I could help but to stare at her. Obviously, she was talking about a certain inu, but were they actually at a state to claim such a thing? Or was she trying to get him to let go of his claim? Either way, saying that about Inuyasha was a bad idea. Yokai will compete when it comes to a mate.

"Seeing? Not that dog-face."

"My sweetheart has a name, Inuyasha! Stop calling him dog-face!"

"I see, so that's it? Well, it's just as well. Next time I see him, I'll kill him. After he is dead, there will be no problem." He casually picked up the boar and turned towards the cave.

==OOO==

Koga decided that we should attack when the sun got close to setting. When the time came, we all went to the bird's nesting area and hid. As Koga asked if everyone was ready, I stared at my weapon. It was a spear. Silently, I wished for my katana which most likely rests at the bottom of a canyon thanks to wolf boy. A spear is not difficult for me to use, however, I mainly trained with a sword which may cause me not to be as great in battle.

Before we could try a surprise attack, the enemy spotted us and circled around. Koga ordered for everyone to go and attack. He took Kagome so they could find the jewel shards. Currently, I was fighting off one of the birds. Swooping down from the sky, it rushed at me. Deciding to lose my weapon, I threw the spear and stabbed the beast through one of the eyes that were on its main body. Jumping out of the way, I barely avoided being hit as it crashed into the ground. Walking towards it, I examined the yokai. The body was round with wings and bird feet. The center of it had a huge face and a blue human-like figure coming out from the top. Seeing one of the tribe members struggling, I grabbed a spear the yokai held and ran to help. As the male struggled on the ground from a broken leg, the bird swooped down to land a final blow. Standing in the way, I held the spear tightly and used it to keep its mouth pried open. Grabbing the male's weapon off the ground, I stabbed it repeatedly until it dropped dead.

"Kagome!"

Fearing the worse, I look quickly to her direction and see Inuyasha running to her. Kagome runs to him and hugs him tightly. Sango and Miroku land by them on Kirara's back. Smiling at the sight of my friends, I run to them. "Sango!"

They turn to me and Sango seems relieved that I am okay. As I get halfway to them, their expressions turn to one of horror and begin screaming at me. Not given enough time to react, one of the birds sink their claws into my shoulders and fly into the air. As I struggle to get free, it decides to let me go. Falling from the air, I scream. I'm not falling back to the top of the mountain. I'm falling to its base.

Not wanting to watch as I fall, I shut my eyes tightly and pray.

==OOO==

On a dirt road that splits a forest in two, an imp walked alongside a two-headed dragon that carried a small girl on its back. The girl smiled as she hummed to herself while the dragon followed behind her lord. A few days had passed since Lord Sesshomaru had saved her life. Or rather, had given her another chance at it. When wolves had attacked her village, she was killed. She doesn't remember much about being dead. However, she likes to think her soul found her parents and brother in the afterlife for a short time. She wouldn't lie if someone asked if she would wish that they too could be resurrected. Yet, she knew such a thing was not possible and easily accepted that fact.

Rin focused back on reality when she noticed her lord had stopped, causing the imp and dragon to stop as well. Before she could speak, a loud rumble came from within her belly. Until now, she did not realize she was hungry.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru commanded, "take Rin into the forest to get some water. There is a river not far from here towards the east." He then disappeared into the forest, going the opposite way.

"Y-Yes my lord," Jaken bowed even though his master was long gone. "You heard him, girl! Let's go!" After watching the girl dismount, he followed his master's instructions. The imp cursed to himself. He would rather be with his lord rather than tend to the little human girl. The fact that she was allowed to follow them baffled him. She was human and that automatically placed her below him and his lord. He felt that the girl should be overwhelmed that she was given such a chance. Jaken stopped and thought that maybe if he left her in the forest and told Lord Sesshomaru that she wasn't coming back, it would be the end of that. As he snickered to himself, Rin called out for Jaken. No longer daydreaming, he panicked and looked around for her. She was no longer behind him.

"Where did you go you insufferable-"

"Master Jaken! Over here," she shouted worriedly. Realizing her voice was now in front of him, he quickly ran, arriving at a river. "Master Jaken! Look!" Turning to his right, he saw the girl crouching down by something. Walking closer, he realized that the something was actually a someone. A woman to be exact.

"Rin! What are you doing?! Get away from that!"

"Master Jaken, I went ahead when you stopped and talked to yourself. When I got here, I saw this lady washed up from the river." Rin looked at the woman sadly. "She's not breathing."

Irritated that the child has yet to listen to him, he began to rant again. "Insolent ch-" A rock hit him from behind his head. Yelping in pain, he turned to yell at whoever threw it. "L-Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru glared at his servant before walking towards Rin. He went to find something edible for his ward but came running back when he heard her yelling. If asked, he would deny that he felt a little relieved she was not hurt. "Rin." Instantly the girl moved away from the body. About to tell his group to continue onward, he stopped and stared at the dead woman. Recognizing the yukata she wore, he knelt down and turned her over. Seeing her face confirmed that it was his brother's companion. He felt irritated that she was dead. He had been wanting to question her and it would seem he would not be doing so.

"Are you going to save her too, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Don't be foolish, girl," Jaken huffed.

As Sesshomaru stood, Tenseiga pulsed. Having changed his gaze from the woman to his sword, he watched as it pulsed again. He unsheathed Tenseiga and saw demons appear around her body. With a quick movement, he slashed the demons and sheathed it once more. While Rin looked at Sesshomaru in awe, Jaken was shocked. Within a few moments, the woman began to breathe and started coughing. Weakly, she turned over, barely pushing herself up with her hands. Trying to make sense of her surroundings, she looked up at who stood in front of her. "S-S-Sesshom-," she collapsed and fell back unconscious.

Even more shocked than before, Jaken stuttered. "Y-You know her my lord?"

* * *

 **I 've been so excited to get to this point! I just hope this chapter doesn't seemed rushed.  
**

 **Please review and let me know what you think so far! Also, tell me what you guys are hoping happens next chapter or at some point within the story!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I reread the first chapter and decided it was so horrible, I wanted to rewrite it. I will most likely update it soon! I might also update the other first few chapters. Not sure yet. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story! Please fav, follow, and review!**

 **.x.x.x.x.x.**

With her eyes still closed, Kimiko snuggled into the warm cloud-like fluff that surrounded her. She could tell that morning had come, yet she was not ready to wake up. Her body felt sore and the way her damp clothing clung to her was uncomfortable. Quickly realizing that her clothes were a bit wet, she wondered why that might be. Images of her falling down to her death played through her mind. Eyes flying open, she jumped into a sitting position and scanned her surroundings. She lay in an open field that was surrounded by trees. A girl and an imp that she had seen from a vision slept in front of her on the other side of a small campfire. A two-headed dragon slept not that far from them. Having trouble of making sense of what happened, Kimiko played with the fluff that surrounded her. Pausing for a moment, she examined the fluff that she just realized was there. She became curious as to where it came from. Seeing that it was long, she slowly followed the fur's twists and turns that led behind her. She turned around and saw that the end of the long fur, led to a great daiyokai, who had the rest of it wrapped around his shoulder.

Kimiko froze, not only because of who it led to but also because that said person had been watching her this whole time. "S-Sesshomaru," she stuttered.

Noticing that she did not use his title, he glared. "You will refer to this one with respect, human. Learn your place. You will also explain how you know something no one else should know." He watched as the girl went from shock to anger.

Standing up, she scowled at him. She knew it was not a good idea, yet she didn't care. The fact that he saw her as something beneath him, angered her. No matter if someone was a yokai, hanyo, or human, they should be treated equally. A belief that was strange for this time, but she was raised that way. Afterall, her ancestors, along with the others that once lived in her village, were mixtures of all three.

"First off, my name is Kimiko! It is not 'human'! Second, don't dare to tell me what I will do. I am my own person, not some servant of yours! And just because I am not an all great and powerful yokai, don't dare place me below you. We are both living and breathing beings and deserve equal respect! So get your head from up your ass!"

Golden eyes had instantly become red. Before she could blink, Sesshomaru stood inches from her, wrapped a hand around her throat and held her in the air. Cursing herself for acting without thinking, she clung to his wrist, trying to use her draining strength to get free. As spots began to dance in her vision, Kimiko tilted her head to the side as much as she could in order to bare her neck. It was a sign of submission. Though it bothered her to do such a thing, she would rather live. Sesshomaru didn't let go immediately. Part of him wanted to kill her for the way she talked to him. Another part wanted to let her live, after all, he had questions he wanted to be answered. He released his grip on her, causing her to fall to the ground. She held her throat and coughed as she tried to breathe again.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Red eyes sifted to Rin, who was now awake and watched them with worry. "Is everything okay?"

Gold returned back to his eyes before he turned around and walked away. Stopping for only a moment, "When I return, I expect you to tell me what I want to know." With that said, he continued walking and disappeared into the forest.

The girl ran to Kimiko's side to check on her. "Miss, are you okay?"

Kimiko rubbed her sore throat once more before answering. "Y-yeah. I'm alright. Is he always like that?'

Rin shook her head, "No. Lord Sesshomaru may look mean but he's actually really kind!"

"Stupid girl," Jaken yelled. "Lord Sesshomaru is strong and powerful! He is not 'kind'! To imply such is to call him weak!"

"He is too kind!" Rin seemed to ignore his insult and focus more on his statements on their lord. "Rin died and Lord Sesshomaru brought Rin back! This pretty lady also died! He brought her back too!"

This statement seemed to shock Kimiko. As the two kept going back and forth, she focused on what Rin had said. She placed her hand on her shoulder. Her yukata had holes from were talons punctured through, but no wounds were there. She couldn't recall anything after her fall, besides waking up a few moments ago. Deciding to know more on the subject, she turned to the little girl. "Rin, that's your name right?" Receiving a nod, she continued. "You said that I died... and so did you.."

"Wolves had attacked the village Rin lived at. When Rin tried to escape they attacked Rin. But Lord Sesshomaru found and saved Rin! About two days later, Rin went to the river and found you. Lord Sesshomaru took out his sword and saved you," Rin said as she beamed in happiness at Kimiko. "Unlike Rin, you couldn't stay awake after he saved you. So Lord Sesshomaru carried you here. But you were so wet and cold, Rin feared you wouldn't make the night. So he wrapped you in his fur and placed you near the fire."

When she said that she was attacked by wolves, Kimiko couldn't help but think of Koga and the murdered villagers. ' _So she was a victim,'_ she thought to herself. When Rin said that Sesshomaru saved her and took care of her, she stared at the girl as though she had grown another head. Kimiko pondered if they were talking about the same demon lord. Afterall, he just almost killed her a few moments ago.

' _Even still,_ ' she thought, ' _he not only brought me back to life, he kept me with his pack and made sure I lived through the night. Though he did say that he wanted me to answer his questions. Could that be the only reason?'_ She shook her head. If it was true, then what reason would he have brought Rin back as well. The fact that they were brought back at all meant Sesshomaru had some kindness towards humans, otherwise, Tenseiga would not have worked. Kimiko groaned. The more she would think, the more confused she was.

Then there was the fact that Kimiko had to explain how she knew the phrase she yelled to Sesshomaru when the two brothers were fighting. It's not something she could lie about. Even if she made a convincing lie, she was sure he would sense her deceit. If he couldn't, she still had no idea how to lie about it. Kimiko sighed and turned to Jaken. She didn't have much choice in what she could do. "Kappa, do you think Sesshomaru could keep a secret?"

He stomped the ground repeatedly, "Imp! I am an imp! And my name is Jaken, girl!" He crossed his arms and glared at her. "And yes, if he would agree to any type of promise, he would be bound by honor to keep it."

As if on cue, the demon lord emerged from the forest with a large dead boar in hand. He dropped at Jaken's feet. "Cook it," he ordered. Glancing at Kimiko for a moment before he looked at the trees in front of him. Without another sound, he walked forward and disappeared once more. Knowing that he wanted her to follow, she couldn't help but shudder in fear. She had no clue how this would end, but she hoped it ended well. Not wanting to anger him once more, she quickly walked into the forest to catch up.

She easily found Sesshomaru. He had not walked too far into the woods, Kimi guessed it was so he could stay close to his pack if something happened. The inu stared at her in silence with a blank expression. He let his yoki flare out in order to make sure no one was in distance to overhear and to warn any intruders away. Deciding it was safe, he recalled his yoki and focused on the girl without uttering a word. Kimi gulped, she was honestly scared for her life. There was no guarantee that he would allow her to live if he received the information he wanted. But to do that, she had to explain what she was. If he is as power hungry as his brother says, then surely he would want to keep her as a slave like others have done to her kind in the past.

Seeing that he was growing impatient, she decided it was best to speak quickly. "Before I tell you anything, I do want to say thank you for saving me. Even though I have no right to ask anything of you, I must. I will tell you the information you seek and more, but you must swear to me you will not kill me after and help me find my way back to my friends. You must also keep what I say a secret."

Growls were her only response. The fact that she had the audacity to request such things of him angered him. Yet, a part of him could reason as to why. She was weak and had no way to protect herself from him after she explained herself. Though to request he help her find his brother's pack pushed it. Moments passed as he had an internal battle, before responding, "Hn."

Taking that as a yes, she took a deep breath. "As you stated before, my eyes and scent suggest I'm not human, not fully anyway. You could say I am a hanyo, but my yokai blood is extremely diluted to the point that it can be hard to tell. The reason behind it is because..." She began to explain the story of the Senrigan, how the descendants began to lose the ability to control their visions, and that some barely had visions if any at all. Kimi also went over how she was a rare case, how she became the only survivor and a short explanation on why she traveled with Inuyasha. "Normally, my visions are of the possible future. Things we say and do can prevent or cause it. When you were fighting Inuyasha, I had prayed for help of some kind. I didn't see anything, but a male voice in my mind said 'Tell me Sesshomaru, have you someone to protect?'. I was confused but I gave it a try."

"My father," he responded. "It was a phrase he had said to me once. Though we alone when he said it."

"I can see why it surprised you when I repeated it." She lightly bit her lower lip as she stared back at the ground in thought. "What bothers me is that it's something from the past. There were rumors that they could see the past as well, but until now, I never thought it to hold any truth."

The two stood in silence for a few minutes. One was in deep thought as he pondered on all this new information. The other was worried that the imp was wrong about his lord's honor. Expecting to die, Kimi jumped when Sesshomaru spoke. "This Sesshomaru will honor your requests. Until you are returned, you are under my protection. We will leave not long after we arrive back at camp." Her face brightened immediately after he spoke. Before she could even express her gratitude, he interrupted her. "However, you have not fully told this one everything. You had claimed you had a dream of me when we first met."

Lavender eyes widen in shock and embarrassment. "U-Um," she stuttered as her face turned red. The vision in question was actually pretty serious, however, Kimiko couldn't quite forget how she commented on his looks out loud. She shook her head in attempt to rid her mind of embarrassing thoughts. "It's not really that I dreamed about you... Well, in a way I did but not the way it sounds..." Mentally she cursed herself, she was rambling. With a deep breath, she tried again. "In the vision I had, you were there, but I was... dying. That's all I can remember," she lied. Kimi remembered all there was to the vision, but she figured telling him that he was crying and begging her not to die was not a good idea.

Golden eyes stared at her in contemplation. He could tell by the sudden change in her scent that she wasn't fully telling the truth. The shifting back and forth from one foot to the other while under his gaze also helped to point it out. Yet, he decided he would let it slide. Afterall, he had much to think on. Though she could not control it, she could see the future and now apparently the past. Such things could benefit him greatly, however, his enemies could as well if they got her. Then there is the fact that he is delivering her to his half-breed brother. Did he want to willingly give him something such as that? The most troubling thing though was that within a few minutes of taking her under his protection, he found out that harm would come to her. He gritted his teeth as he silently cursed himself for even resurrecting her.

Without responding to her, Sesshomaru walked passed her and headed back to camp. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding. For a bit, she was scared he could tell she was lying due to the fact he stood there in silence. ' _Perhaps he gets lost in his own thoughts a lot,_ ' she thought to herself before quickly following behind him.

"You're back," Rin exclaimed and she ran to hug Kimiko's leg.

"Yes, I am," Kimi chuckled. She knelt down and ruffled Rin's hair. Smiling as the little girl giggled, "I'm going to be traveling with you for a little while. Sessh- Lord Sesshomaru is going to help me find my friends I was traveling with." Kimiko looked at Sesshomaru. If he heard the correction she made, he didn't show it. Instead, he leaned against a tree as he waited for them to eat. She figured giving him the respect he wanted was a good idea. However, she would be quick to take it back if she wasn't given the same.

Jaken grumbled at the idea of having the woman tag along. As much as he wanted to tell both humans off and make them leave, he knew better than to question his lord. Instead, he chose to fuss at them to eat before the food was cold. Remembering that they were hungry, the girls quickly went to eat. Before taking care of herself, Kimi tore off a good bit of meat and handed it to Rin. After making sure the girl had enough to eat, she began to eat.

==OOO==

True to his word, they left not long after Rin and Kimiko finished eating. Having walked in silence for hours, Kimi was quickly becoming bored. Silently, she wished the others were here. Whenever they traveled, someone was always talking and everyone from the group would join in at some point. As she yawned, she climbed onto Ah-Un, sitting right behind Rin. Determined to force herself to stay awake, she decided to ask Rin something that had been on her mind.

"Rin, you told me what happened to your village," she paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "Did you lose your family that day?" She was curious to know if the girl did, why would Sesshomaru not save them as well.

The girl shook her head and focused her gaze on the ground. "My parents and brothers were killed by thieves long before that." Her eyes widened as arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry. It is a pain that I know all too well. My village was slaughtered by bandits when I was younger. No one so young should have to go through such a thing."

Rin's eyes teared up as she turned and hugged back. The villagers treated her harshly even knowing what had happened. They didn't care nor try to understand. Instead, they beat her and treated her as though she was less than dirt. Now, she didn't have to explain her pain; she was finally understood and cared about. It was a feeling that Rin hadn't felt in a while. Being in Kimiko's arms made her feel as though she had her mother back. Together the two shed tears in the comfort of their embrace.

If it were not for the fact that the others were behind him, they would have seen the lord scowl. He did not understand why, but the smell of Rin's tears bothered him. When the woman also began to weep, his beast stirred. He growled inwardly at his reactions that he failed to understand. The longer the two cried, the more his beast demanded action. What type of action did it want? He did not know, nor did he truly care to pay attention to find out. Having decided to stop, he led the group to a large field of flowers. The few days he had Rin in is care, he had noticed she would try to get any flower she saw. Perhaps this would make it all end.

"Are we stopping for the day my lord," Jaken asked.

"Hn. Make camp and tend to your own hunger." Once more, Sesshomaru disappeared into nearby trees.

"Look at all the flowers," Rin grinned. In an instant, she ran to the field grabbing as many as she could. "Come help me, Lady Kimi!"

Kimiko chuckled and walked to the girl, leaving Jaken on his own to set up camp. Grabbing a handful of flowers, she sat on the ground. Motioning for Rin to come sit next to her, she began to make something her mother once taught her long ago. Rin watched in awe as Kimi made a flower crown and giggled when it was placed upon her head. Deciding to make one, she asked her for help. After a few tries, Rin managed to make one on her own and placed it on Kimiko's head. Not long after, the two went from sitting and playing with flowers to playing a game of chase. Laughter and playful screams filled the air. After a few rounds of chase, they fell on the ground next to each other breathless, looking at the sky. Seeing that the sun would start to set soon, Kimiko decided it was time to find something to eat.

Standing up, she held her hand out to Rin, "It's gonna get dark soon, let's see if there are any fruits and berries around to eat." As the girl took her hand, she helped her stand to her feet.

Rin skipped as she followed behind Kimiko into forest. After seeing Rin almost pick poisonous plants, Kimi took it upon herself to teach Rin basic survival skills. To her surprise, Rin was a very fast learner. In no time, the two were able to find lots of edible berries and find a water source. When they had their fill on both, they headed back to camp with a little extra food to save for later.

By the time they managed to get back, night had fallen. Though she did not see Sesshomaru, Kimi could feel that he was close and decided it was safe for them to go to sleep without having to keep watch. She wrapped the extra berries in a small cloth and placed them in a satchel that Ah-Un carried. The chilly night air made Rin shiver as she laid down on the ground not far from the campfire. Feeling cold herself, Kimiko laid on her side behind Rin and wrapped her arm around the small girl. She hoped that between her body heat and the heat from the fire, Rin would not be cold as she slept through the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Going to give you all a head's up. There is a part with lyrics. I know not everyone likes stuff like that in stories, so I kept it short! I just want to point out I do not own the song "Four Seasons" or the lyrics that go with it. The song is from the third movie and is by Namie Amuro. The lyrics are by Lizz Robinett, who did an awesome English cover. I highly recommend you go and listen!  
**

 **Now on to the story!**

 **.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"I highly doubt you could afford that. Perhaps try browsing our lower quality items," the smug female merchant said. She stared at Kimiko with slight disgust as she smiled. The woman felt that no one who wore such torn clothing and allowed their child to be so filthy, let alone barefoot, could afford the finer clothing she sold.

Kimi gritted her teeth as she tried to hold back her anger. She did not want to cause a scene in front of Rin. They had been traveling for days with Sesshomaru. When she had noticed a village not too far away, she had asked if she could go buy more clothes since the ones she wore were badly torn from the birds of paradise. Although Jaken instantly disagreed, he was shocked when his lord ordered him to give them money.

She decided to ignore the lady as she held the black and cyan kimono against her. It was the same length as her yukata, stopping a few inches from above the knee. The shorter length allowed easier movement, especially during combat. She bit the inside of her cheek as she debated on the kimono's sleeves. They were long and wide as a normal kimono. Kimi preferred sleeveless for easier movement but decided she could still fight in it. Before she made the decision to buy it, she decided to focus on the look of the garment. Overall, it was black with cherry blossoms spreading across it from different angles. The trim and obi were cyan. Though it was made out of silk, it was a higher grade, making it not only smoother but, also more durable. She looked to the merchant and asked for the price. The lady looked at her with skepticism as she replied. Quickly, Kimi dropped the appropriate amount of gold pieces in the woman's hand and walked away happily. She had hoped she could have gotten a weapon, but the kimono took almost all of the money she was given.

"It's very pretty!" Rin smiled as she stared at the new outfit in her mother's hands. "It goes well with the color of your eyes."

She smiled at the small girl, "Thank you." Glancing the child over, her eyes stopped at Rin's feet. "Will you please let me buy you shoes?"

"Rin doesn't like shoes. Jaken insisted on some when he took me to get this kimono," Rin giggled as she spun around showing off her orange kimono. "Rin got this a day before she found you."

Kimi frowned. "I know Lord Sesshomaru speaks in third person, but you shouldn't as well."

Confused, she tilted her head. "Shouldn't Rin do so if her lord does it?"

==OOO==

The group stopped when night started to fall. Sesshomaru had found a spot within a forest and decided they would rest here for tonight. Since they already ate, he ordered them not to leave and left them. After making a small fire, Kimiko decided she wanted to ignore Sesshomaru's order. In the distance, she could hear the faint movement of water. Seeing as though she had yet to change into her new outfit, she decided it was a perfect time to bathe.

"Come on, Rin." Kimiko stood up from the fire. "There is water not far from here. It's a perfect chance to bathe." She walked to Ah-Un and grabbed a big, white cloth from a bag. Then, she grabbed her new clothes from within a different bag.

"Did you not hear Lord Sesshomaru, wench?!" Jaken glared at the woman, "He said to stay here!"

Rolling her eyes, she started walking towards the sound of water. "If I can hear it, then it means the water is not far away. It'll be fine."

As she watched her walk away, Rin stood still as she tried to decide on what to do. Listen to Lord Sesshomaru or listen to the woman she began to consider as a mother figure? Before Kimi was out of sight, Rin ran to her and followed. Within a few minutes, they had made it to a small river. Kimi checked to make sure everything was fine before stripping down and jumping in. "Cold," she shrieked. Rin laughed before she slowly joined. To keep the girl from getting sick, she quickly washed Rin and rushed her out the water to dry off.

After getting dressed, Rin turned to Kimi, "I'm going to go warm up by the fire."

Nodding, "Be careful and run straight there. I will be right behind you in a few."

She watched as Rin ran back to the camp. When she was no longer in sight, Kimi hummed to herself as she began to bathe. The longer she stayed in the water, the more she got used to the temperature. Finding the cold river now relaxing, she took her time in order to soothe her aching muscles. She had walked most of the time today and since they did not take a break since they left the village, her legs were paying the price.

Kimiko did not realize she wasn't alone until it was too late. A serpent's tail darted out from behind her and wrapped around her. She screamed as the serpent yokai wrapped itself around her, slowly crushing her.

"Sssss... How lucky for me," it hissed. The yokai brought it's face to Kimiko's. "A human all alone and vulnerable."

She glared at the serpent. The bottom half of it was like a snake while the top half was that of a human. Its eyes were yellow with slits for pupils. Snakes fused at the scalp imitated hair, though each one moved around on its own. She struggled to get her arms free, but the more she fought, the tighter they would be squeezed into her sides. With no options to fight back, she spat into the beast's face. It hissed viciously and squeezed tighter. Kimiko screamed in pain. However, within an instant, the serpent let her go and she fell to the ground. Slowly looking up in shock, she saw the serpent's body was headless on the ground. Next to it stood her savior who held the head in his claws. Sesshomaru glared down at the naked woman in front of him. "Woman, I told you to stay. You will do well to listen to this Sesshomaru from now on."

Standing to argue with him, she quickly remembered she was bathing when it attacked. With a yelp, she wrapped her arms around her self and jumped into the river. The water felt cold to her once more and she shivered. Looking at the angry Inu, "I-I'm sorry. I heard the water and knew it wasn't too far away. When I checked the area, nothing was here... C-Could you t-turn around s-s-so I can change? I-It's very cold..." With a growl, the demon lord turned around and she quickly jumped out and dried off. After she quickly got dressed, she could hear as he landed behind her from the other side of the river. She turned around and slowly looked up at him.

Golden eyes glared into lavender. The usual emotionless face that he wore was gone. His eyebrows pulled down together, forming wrinkles just above the bridge of his nose. Nostrils flared as his lips were tightly shut. Such a sight was rare for him. Kimiko did not speak, instead, she lowered and tilted her head to bare her neck. She had messed up and angered him greatly. There were no words she could say that would calm him down.

The silence between them was deafening to her. She dared not to move from her submissive stance, scared that doing so would result in only upsetting him more. No longer being able to take the glare she was receiving, Kimiko closed her eyes and gulped. It seemed like an eternity had passed until he finally spoke.

"Your recklessness almost gotten yourself killed again. I smell Rin was here as well. Had she not returned, she would have been in danger as well!" He ignored his mental questions on why he was concerned for the little human girl's safety. Instead, he focused on his anger for the woman that stood in front of him. He would not say it aloud, but a small part of him liked seeing her submit. Unknown to him, however, that small part would rather her submitting in another way. It was an idea that was hidden deep within.

"I know. I made a mistake and it won't happen again. I am sorry. My katana had fallen into a canyon when traveling with Inuyasha. I always had it with me and am not quite used to the fact that I no longer have it. Due to that, I made a decision as though I still have something I can use to protect and fight with."

"Hn. See that such foolishness ends." Sesshomaru walked passed her without a second glance. As he walked towards the camp, he allowed his face to become emotionless once more. Unfortunately for him, the walk back would not be a silent one. His beast, the raw essence of all that was Sesshomaru decided to speak.

 _ **You have scared her.**_

 _As she should be. This one is someone to be feared._

 _ **She is pack. Pack should not fear their alpha!**_

Sesshomaru growled mentally. _She is NOT of this one's pack. This one has agreed to deliver her to the half-breed and that is all that shall be done! The woman will not stay!_

 _ **We shall see.**_

Kimiko followed behind Sesshomaru as they walked back to the camp. Neither of them had said another word and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. She was sure that he was still angry with her and she had no idea what to do. Letting out a deep breath, she shrugged. If he was angry, it was his problem to deal with. Afterall, she had apologized and even submitted. She had done all that she could and it was something she no longer wanted to dwell on.

"You're okay!" Rin tackled her leg and held it tightly once they had emerged from the forest. "We heard you scream! Then Lord Sesshomaru came running back and when you screamed again, he ran to you! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I told you to listen to Lord Sesshomaru, wench," Jaken exclaimed as he glared. "My lord has better things to do than to have to constantly save a worthl-"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru snapped as he sat down against a tree. Why he yelled at his servant, even he himself did not know. Resting an arm on his knee, he leaned back, closed his eyes and thought about how glad he would be to get rid of this woman.

The fact that Sesshomaru had fussed at Jaken, surprised both Jaken and Kimiko. As Jaken began apologizing to his lord, Kimi just looked at him in shock. Having decided to turn her attention back to the small girl, she hugged Rin back. "I'm sorry to have worried you. I'll make sure to be more careful from now on." As she prepared for them to go to sleep, she dwelled on what the girl had said. He had run to her when he heard her scream. She wondered if he cared for her safety, but she quickly tossed away that notion. He's protecting her because he swore to bring her back to her friends. It had nothing to do with worry for her well being, it was about his honor. The thought of that made her slightly sad, though she did not pay attention to it. He had saved her once more and no matter what, gratitude was owed.

As she laid down with Rin in her arms, she whispered low enough so only he could hear. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."

She ran her fingers through Rin's hair as they both fell asleep.

It was only a few hours since they had fallen asleep when Kimiko woke up. At first, she was confused as to why she was up. It wasn't until Rin began to kick and cry in her sleep did she understand. The small girl was having a terrible nightmare. Gently, Kimi shook her.

"Rin," she whispered. "Wake up, Rin. You're having a bad dream."

Her amber eyes slowly opened and stared at the woman who laid next to her. "Mama?" Blinking her eyes a few times, she realized it wasn't her mother. The sudden realization along with the memories of the nightmare weighed heavily on the poor girl. Her hands clung to Kimiko's kimono and she wept into her chest.

"Shhh... It's okay. I'm here. Everything will be okay." Kimi's heart broke as she soothed the small girl. Many nights when she was younger had she also woken up from bad dreams and wanted her mother. She had remembered the pain when she would realize that her mother was no longer there to soothe her. As she held Rin, she tried her hardest to wish the girl's pain away.

"They're gonna get me," she muttered in between sobs.

"What? Who?"

"T-The wolves..."

Kimiko sat up, pulled Rin onto her lap, and cradled her. She rocked back and forth as she rubbed her cheek on the girl's forehead. "It was only a bad dream. You're safe. I'm here and so is Sesshomaru." Seeing that Rin continued to cry, an idea popped into Kimi's head. "Rin, do you know what my mom would do when I had a bad dream?"

Rin shook her head as she lifted it to look into Kimi's eyes.

"She would sing to me. As she sang, all my fears would go away and I could sleep again. Do you want me to sing to you?" She smiled as Rin nodded her head. Silently, she prayed that she had a decent enough voice to do this. Never had she sung in front of someone so she knew not if her singing was any good. "Four scenes of love and laughter, I'll be alright being alone." As she repeated it three times, she looked to see is Rin wanted her to stop. Seeing that the girl was actually slowly calming down, she smiled and continued. "I will be okay.

Our meetings, though fleeting, are close to my heart

You're with me, then swiftly, it seems we have to part

Searching longingly throughout all my memories

For just one glimpse of that shadow I have loved

I can taste the sweetness of the past

All of my time spent with you that never seems to last

I'll be alright

Every time I close my eyes and dream

Love is the only thing I see,

I believe

Under the warm shining light of the sun,

Bloom the flowers of spring

When your eyes shimmer beneath the summer moon

You will find me."

She stopped as she heard Rin lightly snoring. Quietly she chuckled as she carefully laid her down on the ground. As she laid down behind Rin, she snuggled with her and went back to sleep.

Golden eyes watched as Rin cried out in her sleep. When the woman woke up and tried to wake the child, Sesshomaru's suspicions were proven correct. He had figured the girl was having nightmares. Such a thing was normal for children, even for yokai. At first, he was going to close his eyes again and let the situation take care of itself, but he was curious as to what Kimiko would do to handle the situation. As she began to sing, he found that even himself began to relax. Realizing this, he snapped out of it and growled silently. He was upset with himself for allowing his guard to slowly go down for a moment. Even more upset at the fact that it was due to something so ridiculous.

 _ **She sings nicely. Even does a good job of caring for Rin.**_

 _This one does not care for such things._

 _ **So you claim, yet even you were affected somewhat by the song.**_

 _It would be wise for you to silence yourself!_

 _ **Oh? Are you trying to intimidate me? Do you realize that we are one? However, I will do as you wish. Though, you can't ignore me forever.**_

Sesshomaru clenched his fists tightly causing his claws to draw blood from his palms. He gritted his teeth with such pressure that if he were human, his teeth would break. The behavior of his beast was quickly beginning to annoy him. The longer he had that annoying woman in his presence, the more his beast would talk about her. In fact, it seemed to be the only thing he talked about! As he closed his eyes and focused on listening to his surroundings, he decided he would get rid of her quickly.


	8. Chapter 8

"I win," Rin exclaimed as she ran towards the head of a dead yokai.

"I lose," Jaken sighed in defeat as he caught up to Rin within a few seconds. Quickly, he turned to her, "Wait, we weren't in a race."

Kimiko chuckled as she walked along Sesshomaru's side. The group had been walking towards an abandoned village. The only thing that Sesshomaru told them was that there was a slain yokai before he headed that way.

Rin pointed at the dead yokai. "Look, Master Jaken! Just like Lord Sesshomaru said!"

"My goodness, who could have…"

"It was Inuyasha," Sesshomaru interrupted Jaken and stood behind him.

Kimiko stopped at his side and turned to him. "Inuyasha? We are getting close to them then?"

"Yes. Although… I don't think he got away unscathed either," he stated as he picked up the head, causing Rin to scream halfheartedly. "Let's go." Sesshomaru turned around, holding the head upon his shoulder.

"I hope he and the others are okay," Kimi said as she began to follow behind. "What are you planning to do with that?"

Seeing that Rin continued to scream off and on about the dead yokai, Sesshomaru told her to hush. The girl stopped screaming immediately, spun around, and ran to catch up. Kimi huffed and glared at the lord as he continued to ignore her question. Sesshomaru stopped in a random clearing after an hour of walking. "Rin, Kimiko, Ah-Un, stay here," he ordered as he walked away with Jaken.

Having seen flowers, Rin immediately went to pick them. Kimiko sat down and sighed. She did not know what Sesshomaru planned to do with the demon's head, nor did she know how much longer it would be until she found her friends. To be honest, she wasn't sure what she would do when it came time for her to go. Surely Sesshomaru would not let her stay with them and Rin would certainly not leave his side. Yet, Rin would not want to be away from her either. Though their time together was short, the two of them had bonded rather quickly. The situation was not something she gave much thought until that moment. "Rin," she said.

The girl spun around, grinning as she held dozens of flowers in her arms. "Yes?"

"You know how I am trying to get back to my friends, right?" The girl nodded, so she continued, "I was wondering if you would want to stay with me?"

Rin tilted her head in confusion, "Stay? You mean we would leave Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Only if you would want. I am sure I am not someone he wants to keep around. I don't believe he would like the idea of bringing you every so often to visit, either." She imagined the two brothers would fight anytime Sesshomaru would bring Rin to see her. She was already praying that they did not fight when she saw her friends again.

The girl looked at the ground sadly, "Rin doesn't want to leave Lord Sesshomaru. Rin also doesn't want Mama to go."

Kimiko's eyes widened. "Mama?"

Looking at Kimi in shock, Rin slapped a hand over her mouth. Slowly, she pulled it away and stared at the ground once more as she drew circles in the dirt with her foot. "R-Rin has been meaning to ask if you would be her mother."

Though being asked caught her off guard, Kimiko had considered herself such since a few days ago. Well, maybe more of a mother figure for Rin. She never considered the thought Rin would want her to fulfill that role. A part of her had just assumed Rin would think she was trying to replace her mother.

Kimi beckoned the girl to come to her side. She ran to Kimi and the woman pulled her into a hug. "Of course I will! I will figure out something when the time comes, I promise. So don't be sad, okay?" The girl nodded as she held her new mother tightly.

For three days, the group did not move their camp. When asked why, Sesshomaru would ignore the question. Jaken would claim they were waiting and that is was none of their business. On the third day, Sesshomaru sent Jaken away with Ah-Un. When they did not arrive back on time, Sesshomaru left on his own. Kimiko watched over Rin in their absence. It was not until nightfall did the three of them come back.

Jaken sighed as they appeared from the treeline, "That Kaijinbo, where'd he go with that sword?"

"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin exclaimed as she ran to him.

Kimi stood to greet them, but immediately felt an evil presence behind her.

"Rin, don't move," Sesshomaru ordered.

The girl immediately froze with one foot on the ground and the other in the air. Sesshomaru jumped, landed behind Kimiko, and with a flick of his wrist, cut down two trees. A woman jumped out from behind the trees and landed in front of him.

Jaken sniffed the air. "This smell… Just like that strange one who approached you with the arm with the Sacred Jewel fragment… The one wearing the baboon hide."

Kimiko grit her teeth and took a step forward, "You work for Naraku, don't you?! Did you have a hand in slaughtering the slayer's village?!"

With no left arm to put in front of her, Sesshomaru stepped in front of Kimiko in order to keep her away from the intruder.

"I'm Kagura the Wind Sorceress. Just another incarnation of Naraku." She looked at Sesshomaru, "You must be Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother? You're slimmer than what I imagined." She looked at the woman he hid behind him. The sudden attention on Kimiko had made Sesshomaru tense slightly. He was not about to let Naraku obtain something as powerful as her. "Though, you are someone I do not know about. The answer to your question, however, is no." Once more she looked towards Sesshomaru, "The fangs you gave to Kaijinbo to make the sword were those of a demon named Goshinki. Like me, he was also created out of Naraku."

"Did you come here just to tell me that," he asked.

Kagura opened her fan and hid half her face behind it. "Don't you smell it? The sword which reeks with the aura from Goshinki…Tokijin is so close." Suddenly, a huge gust of wind appeared as Kagura took a feather from her hair. After it grew in size, she began to fly away on it.

"What was with that woman," Jaken muttered.

Sesshomaru turned his head towards Rin, "You may move now." She relaxed her body and took a deep breath. After stretching, she let herself fall to the ground.

Jaken stared at her and muttered once more, "Speaking of strange women."

Sesshomaru turned to look at Kimiko. She was glaring at the spot Kagura disappeared at in the sky. Though her face showed anger, he could see the pain and anguish that showed from within her eyes. He placed his hand on her shoulder, drawing her out from her thoughts. She turned and gazed up at him. She understood his look and started to calm down. After a few moments, he pulled his hand away and turned to Ah-Un. "Jaken, look after Rin." He walked to the two-headed dragon and quickly mounted it. Then, he steered the dragon to walk and stop and Kimiko's side. Instantly, knowing what he wanted, she sat behind him and held onto his fur.

Before they took off, she turned to Rin. "I won't be gone long, I promise." Rin nodded sadly and watched as they flew off into the sky.

Once they were in the air, Kimiko decided to question the lord once more. "Why did you use the head of an incarnation of Naraku to make a sword?"

"This one desires a sword that holds more power than Tessaiga."

She scoffed, "Is that what this is about? Did it ever occur to you that your power may already be stronger than Tessaiga? You can already resurrect the dead, a feat I am sure only you can do. Therefore, you are already stronger than anyone out there!" Silence was her only answer and she sighed. "Will you at least tell me why I am going with you?"

"Tokijin's scent and the half-breed's scent leads to the same direction."

His response made her smile and at the same time frown. The thought that she would soon see her friends made her happy. Yet, she knew she promised Rin she wouldn't be gone long. When they would arrive, she had no idea what would happen and if she would even get to see Rin again. She didn't even get a chance to properly say goodbye.

Hours passed as they flew. She held on to Sesshomaru's fur to steady herself and silently hoped he was okay with that. She thought it to be better than to wrap her arms around him. Kimi wished that she was in front of him to be able to hold onto the reigns. Instantly, an image of their positions switched and Sesshomaru's arms around her as he also held the reigns made her blush ten shades of red. Cursing the fact that she imagined such a thing, she tried her best to calm her fast beating heart.

Unknown to her, his beast liked the closeness between them. As she ran her hands through his fur, occasionally tugging, it made his beast howl in pleasure. His beast was Sesshomaru's pure, raw emotions, thoughts, and primal instincts. Unfortunately, the logical Sesshomaru, the one who was in control, did not enjoy it at all. The fact that his beast acted in such a way angered him. Never in his life did his beast react like this and the fact this girl was causing it made him want to be rid of her as soon as possible. The pressure of her against his back snapped him out of his thoughts. Listening to her breathing and heartbeat, he could tell she had fallen asleep. His beast rumbled in content as he made no attempt to remove her from his person.

==OOO==

As the sun rose, Kimiko woke up. Opening her eyes, she realized she was snuggled into his back and quickly pulled away. "Sorry," she muttered embarrassed. "I didn't realize I was so tired."

"Hn."

Though she thought he was probably mad, a part of him was upset that she pulled away. It was something he would refuse to admit. Focusing back on their goal, Sesshomaru could sense his brother was near, along with the sword he had crafted. Within a few moments, they began to descend into a clearing. Her friends were gathered not too far from a sword that was stuck in the ground.

"Hold on to this one."

Although confused, she quickly grabbed onto his fur. Sesshomaru leaped off of Ah-Un's back and Kimi closed her eyes tightly, holding onto him tighter. The fall brought back memories of right before she died. Sensing her fear, he slowed their descent and landed gently on the ground near Tokijin.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha exclaimed. "Why are you here?!"

"That's my line," Sesshomaru responded. "I only came after this sword. I guess the demon you killed was so bitter, it wanted revenge against you even after it became a sword."

Letting of him, Kimiko walked out from behind Sesshomaru and to his side. "Only for the sword? What about the fact that you were bringing me back," she huffed.

"K-K-Kimiko...," Sango whispered as tears began to fill her eyes.

The rest of the group stared at Kimi in shock. Remembering the reason she was here, she turned to her friends, smiled and waved. Before she could say anything, Totosai interrupted as he watched Sesshomaru walk forward and reach for the sword. "Sesshomaru, do not touch the Tokijin. Even you will be possessed by Tokijin's evil aura."

"Just who do you think I am?" Sesshomaru grabbed Tokijin and pulled it out of the ground without effort. A pink aura that formed around Tokijin disappeared as quick as it appeared.

"The evil aura was overtaken by Sesshomaru," Totosai exclaimed.

"The sword chooses its master. Draw your sword, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru demanded. " I want to verify something."

While Kagome tried to talk Inuyasha out of it, Kimiko glared at the inu lord. "We just got here and you already want to fight? Can you not get along for like five minutes?!"

Ignoring her, Sesshomaru rushed at Inuyasha. Quickly, the younger inu unsheathed Tessaiga and instantly had to block a swing from Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's moves were slower than normal. As Tokijin hit Tessaiga, it pulsed and sent Inuyasha flying backward.

"Did you alter the way you fight, Inuyasha? You usually come at me blindly," Sesshomaru mocked.

Inuyasha growled as he struggled to lift Tessaiga above his shoulder, "Just shaddup!" He ran towards his brother and struck. It was blocked by Tokijin easily. The two swung at each other again, only to come to a standoff. For a moment, they pushed their sword against each other, back and forth. Sesshomaru pushed one last time with more might and caused Tessaiga to fly out of Inuyasha's hands. As it spun in the air, Inuyasha was thrown back. When Tessaiga landed, it reverted back to its rusty state. Making a quick recovery, Inuyasha charged at his brother without a weapon. As her friends yelled for Inuyasha to stop, Kimiko looked at Sesshomaru, "Stop it now! Sesshomaru, this fight is useless! It has gone on long enough!"

Ignoring her once more, he pointed Tokijin at Inuyasha and sent light surging from the blade, striking his brother. Inuyasha fell to the ground, coughing as he struggled to get up.

"I see now. Enough of this." Sesshomaru charged once more, "Die!"

Refusing to let him hurt Inuyasha anymore, Kimiko charged at them. As she got closer, she felt the wind change and a strange power radiate from her friend. She shook her head. She did not know what was going on, but Sesshomaru was still charging at him. At the last second, she managed to stand in front of Inuyasha with her arms spread out, shielding him. Sesshomaru's eyes widen and stopped at the last second, Tokijin just inches away from her chest. She looked at Sesshomaru and begged, "Please, stop..."

Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha drew his arm back as he prepared to strike her down. Dropping Tokijin, he pushed her hard enough to send her flying a good distance away from his brother. As he did so, Inuyasha slashed Sesshomaru's left shoulder. Before anything more could be done, Totosai spat fire, making it form a wall separating Sesshomaru from everyone else. Kagome quickly yelled a sit command allowing Miroku and Sango to pull Inuyasha away. As Kimiko stood up, she went to face Sesshomaru, but Kagome grabbed her hand and pulled her away to flee with the others.

"Kagome! Wait, no, stop," she protested. Unfortunately, her friend refused to listen and continued to pull her as they fled.

The Inu lord watched through the flames as the Miko pulled Kimiko away. The sound of blood splattering on the ground had caused him to look at his wound. He thought about the fact that he had saved her two more times. When he had stopped to prevent Tokijin running through her and when he had pushed her out of the way, taking the blow for her. Neither of those were intentional, his body had reacted on its own. If she would have died, it would have been her own fault for getting in the way. He had delivered her to her friends as requested, making her safety no longer his duty.

 _ **We should go after her!**_

He growled as he grit his teeth. _This one has done what was requested of him. She is where she WANTS to be._

 _ **She NEEDS to be with us!**_

Red began to seep into golden eyes as his beast fought for control. _Her needs have nothing to do with this one! She is fragile and weak. This one knows not the reason for your fascination with her. Whatever the case, it stops now!_

 _ **Do not lie. You know her scent is appealing. She is beautiful, brave, a good mothe-**_

 _How well she takes care of Rin has nothing to do with this Sesshomaru._

His beast did not reply but silently noted that nothing of what he said was denied by his logical side. No longer sensing his brother's pack in the area, Sesshomaru turned around and walked to Ah-Un. Upon mounting the dragon, he stared at the last spot the woman had been. He did not like how much his beast was fascinated by her. Fascination. He was sure that that was all it was. To say his beast cared or like the girl would be admitting that he himself did. Yes, it was only fascination. She was something he had never encountered before. Sure there were fortune tellers that attempted to predict the future. Fortune tellers relied on the lines on one's hand along with a little dark magic. Any prediction they would give would be vague and more than likely would not come true. Seeing the future and the past as though yourself were there was something completely different. Knowing the future could put you a step ahead of your enemies and knowing their past could reveal their dark secrets and fears. He wondered if the girl would ever be able to see the present. The ability to do that would allow one to spy on others. Unfortunately, he knew Kimiko could not control it. That defeated any useful purpose he could use her for. He grabbed the reigns and flicked it once, signaling for the dragon to take off into the air.

==OOO==

Upon reaching a safe place, the group took turns hugging Kimiko and apologizing for not being able to save her. Before she explained what happened, she wanted to know why the now unconscious hanyo almost attacked her. Kagome was the one to explain the fight between Inuyasha and Goshinki. During the fight, Goshinki broke the Tessaiga, causing Inuyasha's yokai blood to take over when he was about to die. When Sesshomaru was charging at him one last time, Inuyasha was overtaken once more and was not in a clear state of mind, allowing himself to attempt to kill Kimiko. The Miko also decided to inform her friend of other events that occurred in her absence. Naraku had also created two more incarnations besides Goshinki. Surprised that Kimiko knew about Kagura, she told her of Kanna, a girl dressed in pure white and who held a mirror. Kagura had managed to trick Koga into thinking Inuyasha killed his tribe and then manipulated their dead bodies to attack both them and Koga.

Seeing that their friend was caught up on the past events, Miroku decided it was their turn to be informed. Nodding, Kimi sighed and tried to think of the best way to explain. "Well, obviously I fell to my death. I guess I landed in a river because Sesshomaru had found my body near one. He then used Tenseiga to resurrect me, but I couldn't stay awake so he brought me with them and made sure I lived through the night. I eventually had to tell him about what I could do, but made him promise to keep it a secret and bring me to you guys."

To say that the group was shocked is an understatement. Many of them had wide-open eyes and some even had their jaws dropped. Totosai walked to the girl and poked her head. "Are you sure didn't dream all this?" He pulled away and placed his hand under his chin. "Although, the fact that you were with him and that he protected you kind of supports your claim."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course I didn't dream this. A day or so before he saved me, he saved a small human girl as well. Her name is Rin and she has been traveling with him since." Her friends' shock was ignored by her. The thought of Rin had reminded her of her promise and caused her eyes to widen. "Oh no! I need to go back! I promised her I wouldn't be away long!"

The slayer quickly blocked the way to Kirara. "We just got you back. I'm not going to let you run off to go find Sesshomaru! If he really did save that girl, I am sure she will be okay with him."

"I have to agree with Sango," Kagome spoke up. "We don't know why he helped you or her, but you shouldn't push your luck with him."

"Lord Sesshomaru would not harm me!" At least, she hoped not. "I promised Rin I would not be gone for long. She needs to be with her mother!"

Kagome looked at her with wide eyes, "Mother?"

Sango stared at the girl questioningly, "Lord?"

"Yes, I consider myself her mother. Her family was killed way before Koga's wolves attacked her and her village. And also, yes, Lord Sesshomaru. He not only resurrected me, but saved me from a serpent yokai, bought me this new kimono, and helped me to find you. I think to give him the respect he wanted was the least I could do."

The more she talked about what had occurred in her travels with the Lord of the West, the more her friends would discover levels of shock that they did not know could be achieved. After consistently being refused to seek out Rin, Kimiko went to sleep on the other side of camp away from her friends.

==OOO==

Birds chirped in treetops and butterflies fluttered around. Though the sun was out, it had yet to rise high into the sky. As the group walked along a rocky path that was surrounded by flowers, Kagome couldn't believe how peaceful it was. These types of moments were rare things lately. Usually, there are so many battles that it felt like sometimes they could not get a break. She smiled as she held Shippo in her arms. This was a moment she wanted to enjoy as long as it lasted. Unknown to her, not everyone in the group felt the same way. Inuyasha who led the group was more concerned about their quest. Sango was worried about her friend who she thought of like a sister. She knew Kimiko wanted to search for Sesshomaru, but she was too scared of what could happen. Miroku had made it his mission to tend to the overly worried slayer as he walked by her side. At the very back of the group, Kimi walked alone. The sight of every flower made her think of Rin. The longer she was away from the girl, the bigger the void in her heart seemed to be.

Hearing Kagome gasp caused her to become the focus of everyone's attention. "Huh? I sense the Sacred Jewel. And it's getting closer!" Instantly, the group put their guards up as they scanned for the possible enemy. Within seconds, a tornado raced towards them and dispersed as it stopped in front of them, revealing Koga.

"Yo!" He smirked at the group and quickly walked to Kagome, "I caught your scent, Kagome, and came to see you. How've you been?"

Inuyasha moved in front of Kagome and glared at the wolf. "Whaddya want, wolf cub?"

"Inuyasha, don't pick a fight," scolded Kagome.

The wolf's blue eyes widened as they fell on the girl who stood at the back. In an instant, Koga ran to Kimiko and hugged her. Though the action slightly surprised her, she patted his back hoping he would let her go soon. He pulled away with a smile on his face, "I'm glad to see you are okay! To be honest, I found it hard to pick up your scent when I arrived."

"That's because she reeks of Sesshomaru," Inuyasha exclaimed with irritation.

Koga looked at him confused. Before he could ask a question, Kimiko decided to argue with the hanyo. "If I smell so bad, I will gladly leave! At least he didn't constantly complain!" It wasn't the first time this was brought up. When she first found out she mainly smelled like Sesshomaru, it made her smile a little. Yet, if Inuyasha would talk rude of his brother, she would quickly get irritated even though she didn't know why. It didn't help when the others stared at her strangely each time.

"Keh! By all means! I wouldn't have the urge to throw up every five minutes then!"

Lavender eyes glowed as she growled at him. Without another word, she stomped off into the nearby treeline.

"Did her eyes just glow? ...And did she just growl," asked Inuyasha.

An hour passed as she walked through the trees. No one had bothered to come after her. She figured this was a sign that they were finally letting her go. Approaching a small pond, Kimiko knelt down, cupped her hands, and placed them into the water. As she finished drinking, she could feel something approach from behind her. She spun around quickly and came face to face with a man in a baboon hide.

"Naraku," she spat. "So I finally meet you."

He chuckled as he took a step closer. "It would seem you know me and speak with such hatred. Yet, I do not know who you are or why you hate me so."

"You don't deserve to know my name. Though, I will gladly let you know why I hate you." She glared at him, lavender eyes full of hatred and anger. "The slayer village. They were like a family to me and you had them slaughtered! You caused me to lose another home, left Sango without her family, and caused so much pain and torment to my friends!"

"I see." He stepped closer, leaving only a few inches between them. "I wonder something. What is the reason that someone such as Sesshomaru would allow you to travel with him? Not only that but to protect you as well. Kagura told me of his actions during his fight with Inuyasha."

Her eyes narrowed. "Is that what this is about? Trying to see if the mighty Lord of the West has a weakness?" She scoffed, "Even if you were to tell him that my life was in danger, he would not come."

"Oh? That's something that waits to be seen." He placed a hand on her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb as he leaned in closer. "Such beautiful eyes, you have as well. Odd color to see in a human."

As she went to slap his hand away, everything in front of her began to fade to black. Slowly trees began to appear, but not the same ones that just surrounded her. The black floor beneath her feet slowly changed as grass began to sprout all over. The black sky quickly became blue and light filtered through the trees. A woman, dressed in white and red, walked from out of the trees. At first, Kimiko thought it was Kagome, but quickly realized it was Kikyo. She walked past Kimi, stopping not far from her. As Kimi turned around, she saw Naraku standing in a tree, wearing the same baboon fur.

"Naraku…what do you want?"

"Sharp as usual, Kikyo."

"How could I not notice you? Not only today, you've come to spy on me countless times. You seem to be quite concerned about me, Naraku." A moment passed before she placed a hand to her mouth and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Naraku… You can't help but be concerned about me. Because…Onigumo's heart beats strong within you."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, causing Kikyo to shield herself. Kimiko could feel the wind but, knew it was not real so she did not react. As she continued watching, Naraku fled with anger. The world around her began to fade away once more. When she blinked, she saw that Naraku was once more in front of her, his hand still on her. Then she laughed just as Kikyo had done.

Surprised by the sudden laughter, he asked, "What's so funny?"

"You seek out the weaknesses of others, yet you struggle with yours. No matter what you do, Onigumo's heart is still in love with Kikyo."

Her response caused both shock and anger within him. This caused him to react too late as a white flash appeared next to them and cut him down; revealing that it was just another puppet of Naraku's. As it fell to the ground, Kimiko stared in surprise as she realized who had just appeared. Golden eyes scanned her as though looking to see if she was harmed. Seeing that she was okay, he sheathed his sword once more.

"So you came," laughter rang out from the puppet. "I see Kagura managed to give you the message, Lord Sesshomaru. How interesting. I wonder how you would react if I said that your brother was battling one of my incarnations as we speak."

Without hesitation, Sesshomaru smashed the head of his puppet with his foot. "This Sesshomaru does not care for such things." He focused his attention back to Kimiko and spoke, "Inuyasha is not far. His scent is strong to the north of here." He turned around and began to walk towards the opposite direction.

Kimiko quickly grabbed his hand. His eyes widened slightly then quickly returned to normal as he turned to her, though he did not speak a word. Nervous, she licked her dry lips, an action that he closely watched. She looked up at him as she started to ask for his help. Quickly, she changed her mind. He had already claimed he didn't care.

"Lord Sesshomaru... Thank you." She let his hand go and turned to the north. She wanted to go with him so she could see Rin, but she needed to make sure her friends were okay. "Let Rin know I miss her... And please, keep her safe Sesshomaru. I don't know if Naraku realizes what I am capable of, but I don't want him to be able to use her to get to us." Not waiting for a response, she ran to her friends.

Sesshomaru watched as she disappeared into the forest. He was on his way to see an old friend of his father's when Kagura appeared. She told him that Naraku had attacked Kimiko and she was dying from poison. The moment the sorceress disappeared, he had used his own power to fly since he was much faster than the dragon. When he had arrived, he felt both relieved and furious. He was relieved that she was okay, yet the sight of seeing the wretched hanyo touching her continued to cause anger in him even now. Since he had let her leave to be with her friends, Sesshomaru had been at constant war with himself. To make it worse, Rin continued to cry every day. A part of him was tempted to go retrieve the onna, but seeing as though she was concerned about her friends, he decided against it. Remembering he had more important things to do, Sesshomaru turned around and walked back the way he came.

Many thoughts ran through her head as Kimiko raced towards her friends. She felt guilty for running off the way she did, anger that Naraku attacked them and tried to use her as bait for Sesshomaru. She mentally paused. Was she bait for Sesshomaru? Or was he so close that he could smell his scent? No, Naraku said Kagura delivered a message. Then, was he truly there because of her? Perhaps, it was not her but the fact that he thought he had a lead on Naraku. When it came to the daiyokai, she would forever be confused. He was a very complex man.

As Kimiko finally found her friends, she saw Kagome continuously give Inuyasha sit commands before stating she was going home. Walking towards her friends, "I guess I got here too late to be of any help."

They all turned to her surprised before the girls ran to hug her. "We were worried about you," they exclaimed.

"We wanted to give you time to cool down. When we were going to go looking for you, Inuyasha had smelled Naraku's scent," explained Kagome. "He had created more incarnations that we had to fight."

Inuyasha walked to Kimiko with a hand covering his nose. "You have Naraku's scent on ya, but Sesshomaru's has gotten stronger."

Sighing, Kimi responded, "If it makes you happy, direct me to hot spring and I will gladly take a bath. After having Naraku touch me, my skin feels all crawly."

"You ran into him," Sango asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I guess he thought he could use me as bait to get to Sesshomaru. I ended up having a vision in front of him. I'm not sure if it was of the future or the past. In it, he was talking to Kikyo, but she upset him and he fled. After the vision, Sesshomaru appeared."

Sango stared at her strangely. "What do you mean that he wanted to use you as bait for Sesshomaru?"

The sound of his brother's name caused Inuyasha to become fired up. "That bastard is here?!"

"No," she sighed. "He left after he destroyed Naraku's puppet. According to Naraku, Kagura told him something to make him go there." She shrugged, "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. He left, so can we please find somewhere to bathe? And maybe a weapon that I could keep so I can defend myself? I'm tired of being so defenseless."

Though they didn't want to drop the subject, they did so anyway. A few of them had wounds they needed to tend to and one wanted to go home so she could relax in her bed in the future. They could always ask more questions later.

 **.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

 **I am not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter. Personally, I hate my writing but, I hate anything I make. Review and let me know what you think so far so that I know if this is something worth continuing or not!**


	9. Chapter 9

One week. It had been one week since she had last seen Sesshomaru which meant she had been away from Rin for a little over two weeks. Kimiko couldn't help but feel depressed. She did enjoy being back with her friends but, she missed her daughter terribly. Rin was sure to think she was abandoned. It wouldn't surprise Kimi if the girl hated her, after all, she could not keep the promise she made.

Kimi began to wonder what reason was given to the girl for her absence. The thought made her mind come up with crazy scenarios of what happened after she left.

What if Jaken told her horrible stories about how she never cared for the girl! Rin surely would hate her then! There was also the possibility Jaken would try to get rid of Rin. With her mother no longer there to protect her, it would be so easy to...

The group turned to look behind them after they heard a loud smack. Though they continued to walk, her friends stared at her in confusion as they wondered why she had slapped both her cheeks with her hands. Kimi paid no attention to them and continued to dwell on her thoughts.

She had slapped herself in hopes to calm herself down. It didn't work. Though, it did make her come to her senses. Jaken may not like her nor Rin but, he was not the type to do such things. Even if he tried, Sesshomaru would not allow it to happen. He was someone with great honor. No matter if he liked it or not, he had saved Rin and took her in. She was his to protect.

"Would you stop it already?!"

The broken silence within the group caused her to focus on reality. She blinked as she glanced at an irritated Inuyasha. The group had stopped walking, something she had just now realized. The fact they all stared at her was something she just noticed as well.

"What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

"We stopped because I can't take your scent anymore! Ever since you've been back, you are either upset, depressed, or worried! Hell, sometimes all of 'em!" Inuyasha groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose and tightly shut his eyes. After a deep breath, he returned to his normal stance. "Look, I know you want to get back to that kid. Every day your thoughts focus on her but, we have more important things to deal with. The shard-"

"The shards! The shards! The shards! I know how important it is! You are not the only one who is affected by it," she exclaimed. "Have I've been worrying about Rin? Yes, I have. If it bothers you, then you will have to deal with it. I accepted when she asked for me to be her mother and I was the one to promise her I wouldn't be gone for long. She is my responsibility! If something were to happen to her, it would be my fault. As an alpha, I expected you to be the one to understand that the most!" She sighed, "If you don't want to see your brother. That's fine. But, you refuse to even give me a direction to go on my own. You're my friend and you won't help me." _None of you will._

Without another word, Kimiko continued forward. She did not even glance at Inuyasha as she passed him. Before he could say anything, Kagome put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"Inuyasha, when you were young, you lost your mother," she whispered. "Kimi has been through the same thing. She lost her entire family and even her village. Then when she found a new home, it too was taken away. Rin is in that same position. She gained a mother only to lose her not long after. Kimi knows that pain and doesn't want the same for her daughter. That is why she is so stuck on the fact of going back to her."

His eyes were glued to Kimiko's back as she walked ahead. It was true. He knew the pain of losing those you love. Perhaps, if the girl was in some village, he would let her go. However, she was not in a village. No, the small girl was instead with his brother. The same brother who hated him all his life just because he had human blood in his veins. The idea of Kimiko being anywhere near him set off all types of alarms in his head. He knew she would be going to her death if she did. No matter how much she claimed he had changed, it would not make him believe any different.

Yes, it is possible for some to change. He himself was proof of that. But not everyone can and surely not that quick. There was no way Sesshomaru had turned over a new leaf.

==OOO==

As the stars shined in the night sky, the small pack began to get ready to sleep. Yet, there was still tension in the group from the conversation earlier that day. To prevent from continuously arguing with Inuyasha, Kimi resorted to ignoring him entirely. This only helped to anger the hanyo more. However, he did his best to keep his calm. He had thrown a fit once earlier and received a series of sits as a consequence. It was not pleasant.

Still, the miko's words did not fall on deaf ears. Inuyasha had considered throughout the day what she said. Though he did not trust his brother, he was an alpha and needed to take care of his pack. He had failed Kimiko multiple times and refused to do so once more.

Deciding it was now or never, he stood up and began to walk to her. She had made a place to sleep near Sango. As he got closer, lavender eyes glared at him. His instincts told him to challenge her. To make her back down. Instead, he ignored them. He may be stubborn and hard headed but he knew when he needed to make things right.

"Kimiko," he began, "I know you want to go after the kid. Truthfully, I think you're stupid for wanting to go anywhere near that bastard." She opened her mouth to argue but he quickly continued. "However, I understand. You took her in and now want to prevent her from going through the same pain that you went through. Starting tomorrow, as we travel, I will keep an eye out for his scent. Whenever we find him, I will protect you as you try to get the kid."

Inuyasha wasn't sure what would happen after he finished. He expected she would thank him repeatedly, beg for his forgiveness, or even smile at getting her way. He was shocked when she threw her arms around him and cried softly into his shoulder. It wasn't until that moment did he truly understand why she was always so upset. Even though they were not together very long, the small girl meant a lot to her.

When she calmed down, Kimi pulled away and thanked him. As he walked away and sat back down in his spot, Shippo climbed onto his shoulder.

The kit leaned in close as he whispered in the Inu's ear. "You're not going to tell her that Sesshomaru's scent has always been faintly near us?"

A glare made Shippo gulp and run back to Kagome's side. Inuyasha sighed as he looked up at the stars. His thoughts stayed focus on the daiyokai. What Shippo claimed was true. He began to smell his brother's scent about two days after the battle with Naraku's incarnation. At first, he thought it was coming from Kimiko. Though he knew that couldn't be true for all the girls bathed beforehand. No, his brother was near. His scent was faint but, it was constantly with them.

When he first noticed, he tried to move his group far away. The scent only followed, though it never got closer or farther away. It always maintained the same distance. Curious about what would happen, he never spoke a word about it. Inuyasha thought he was coming after Tessaiga at first, however, days had passed and nothing happened. Eventually, he wondered if Sesshomaru was following Kimiko instead. The idea was strange but, not impossible.

The Lord of the West did know about her abilities. It was possible that he was after that. Even though it did not sound right to Inuyasha. Sesshomaru cared about power and would stop at nothing to get it. So why wait? Unless it was for a different reason.

Suddenly, his mind went to of him and Kikyo. In the beginning, he did not trust her. Hell, he didn't trust anyone. Yet, she had managed a way into his heart and even helped him to change.

 _Can you not consider it a possibility that he has changed?_

Many times had he and Kimiko argued about his brother. So often did she say such things, though he always refused to believe it. No, Sesshomaru did not turn over a new leaf. But, maybe he was beginning to.

 **.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

 **When I update, I have the 'new' chapter and a few chapters that will be released later on. Well, that might be released. I tend to toss ideas out or think the story isn't going in a good direction and rewrite.**

 **After taking a break from writing for a bit, I came back and thought Chapter 9 made the story rush to fast. So, I rewrote it. Sadly, this made it shorter and made me redo all the other chapters that follow this one. But I figure it's better than what I originally had. Plus, I decided to make it a point to explain how much time has past. I realized it was something I would forget to include. Sorry about that!  
**

 **Doing this chapter also gave me the idea to make Chapter 10 about Sesshomaru! *gasp***

 **I am nervous about Chapter 10. At some point I was gonna have to focus on him but, I'm nervous about him not seeming like Sesshomaru.**

 **Though, I tend to worry about every character that way I guess. Even now, I wonder if Inuyasha seems like Inuyasha lol.**

 **Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **I wanna give a quick shout out to** **Tylain, AliceTheEvil-GoodBunny, 8shadesofmadness, diaza, and GreyMoonHuntress. Thank you for your reviews and support! I am so glad to know you all enjoy the story!**

 **Also, a thank you to all who followed, favorited, and read the story! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**It has _really_ been a long time since I have updated. Please forgive me! (っ- ‸ – ς)**

 **Life happened and I have been having moments where it feels like nothing gets better.**

 **Anyway, I've been working almost two weeks on this chapter. I can't tell you how many documents I have saved that are different versions of what happens. To me, this one was the best. Though, that may not be saying much because I feel like I could've done this chapter better. I am slightly worried it seems rushed, plain, or even predictive. Then again, I've read it over and over and over again.**

 **Anyway, on to the story!**

 **°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°**

 **.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

Failure.

It is a word that everyone loathes. No one wants to be considered as such, nor do they wish for their actions to be as well. Everyone wishes to be successful, to only be met with positive outcomes in life so that they can be happy. Failure just brings out the self-hatred that is hidden beneath the surface. It causes your mind to torment yourself in ways that no one else can. You become your own worst enemy, attacking yourself while you are weak and vulnerable until the point you break.

It was something he detested. He growled as he snapped the deer's neck. Never in his long life had he felt like this. He was Sesshomaru, the Killing Perfection.

Perfection...

No longer did he feel perfect. He stared at the dead deer in his hand as he growled once more. The reason he took the animal's life was pointless. He was a failing as an alpha and nothing he did would make it better.

Rin had cried for days when he returned without the insufferable woman. Her cries worsened as he stated she would never return. One day, he could no longer take it and snapped at the child. The moment he told her to stop her senseless crying, she stopped. She stopped everything. The girl no longer talked, ate, and drank. Her chestnut brown eyes became devoid of life. The laughter that he came so use to hearing every day was now gone. Even Jaken and Ah-Un became depressed. They knew if this continued, Rin would eventually die.

He lifted the animal onto his shoulder. As he walked through the forest, he could not help but dwell on his actions. Perhaps, if he had not snapped at Rin, she would have eventually gotten over the woman's absence. It was something he had not meant to do and was furious at himself for the break in his composure.

The day he had snapped at Rin was the same day Kagura appeared. She had claimed Naraku poisoned the woman and laid dying alone in the woods. He had no intention of going after her. She was no longer his to deal with. Her death would be a failure of his brother, not him. Yet, the moment Kagura vanished, he flew to chase after Kimiko's scent. Why he did such a thing, he still did not know.

So many things had angered him that day. The fact he went searching for her, that the wind sorceress lied to him, Naraku's hand on Kimiko's face, how his beast demanded they take her with them as she walked away, and being greeted with Rin's crying when he returned. As she cried, his beast argued for him to turn around and get her. It was to point that he no longer had any patience and verbally lashed out at the human girl.

No amount of flowers would make her return to normal. Unconsciously, as he traveled to find fields of flowers for Rin, he had placed his pack close to his brother's. The distance between them was great, yet, the fact he could easily smell them was of no comfort. He was sure this was his beast's doing. However, he couldn't make himself leave. When Inuyasha's pack moved, he made his follow. Sesshomaru didn't know why but eventually wrote it off as a last resort. He could go grab the woman if things did not change for the better.

As he turned to make his way back to Rin, his body tensed. He faintly smelled blood. Without thinking, Sesshomaru dropped the deer and flew through the woods. For the moment, all logical thinking had gone away. The moment he smelled the blood, _her_ blood, instinct took over, telling him to protect.

When Sesshomaru arrived, he was greeted with the sight of Inuyasha in the hand of a giant oni. The oni laughed as he slowly began to crush Inuyasha. The daiyokai ignored it as his eyes scanned the area for the reason he was here. He glanced at the bodies that laid on the ground. It was the monk, the slayer, and the miko. At first, he thought them dead until his sensitive ears could hear their faint breathing.

Movement from above caused him to look up. Kimiko held an old sword as she rode the nekomata. They flew around above the oni watching him closely. When the timing was right, she jumped off the yokai's back and dove at the oni. With careful aiming, the sword pierced through its eye. It screamed out in pain as it fell onto its back. She quickly applied more pressure to the sword, pushing it down until the beast laid silent.

With the oni now dead, Inuyasha managed to free himself from its hand. Though the main threat was now dead, his instincts told him he was still in danger. He was confused until his golden eyes landed on his brother.

"Why the hell are you here," Inuyasha growled.

Worried about a new threat, Kimiko spun around. Her eyes widened as she shouted, "Sesshomaru!" She quickly jumped off the oni's body and raced towards him.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing?! Don't run to him!"

Kimi paid her friend no mind as she came to a stop in front of the Lord of the West. As she looked at him, she became worried. His eyes were no longer golden. "Sesshomaru? Are you okay? Your eyes are red."

It took him a moment to register her words. He was more focused on examining her for injuries. When he realized she only bled from minor cuts, he began to relax. The red receded from his eyes as his logical half returned. As he realized where he was and why he was there, he became angry with himself. For whatever reason, his beast felt they needed to protect her and he didn't like it.

"Hn," he replied coldly.

"That's not an answer, Sesshomaru."

He glared at her. As he went to reprimand her for not using his title, movement from behind her caught his attention. For whatever reason, the oni was no longer dead. It pulled the sword out from its eye and threw the sword at her. Without hesitation, Sesshomaru pushed her, causing her to fall onto her back. The blade barely missed her as she fell and pierced Sesshomaru in his right shoulder.

"Shit," Inuyasha cursed. He had chosen to check on Kagome and the others instead of arguing with Kimiko and his brother. When he saw the oni move, it was too late to try to stop it from throwing the blade. It both shocked and relieved him that Sesshomaru decided to protect her. Inuyasha glanced back down at the woman in his arms. He shook Kagome repeatedly. "Come on, Kagome! Wake up!"

As the oni began to stand, Sesshomaru ignored the pain as he pulled the sword from his chest. Determined to make the oni stay dead, he drew out Tokijin and rushed at it. When he got close, he swung the sword, however, it did not pierce the oni's skin. The sword vibrated as though it had just struck a boulder. Irritated, the oni reached down to grab Sesshomaru, who managed to jump out of the way.

"It has a jewel shard," Kimiko yelled. "It made its skin impenetrable! It probably resurrected it as well!"

With another firm shake, Inuyasha felt relieved when Kagome began to open her eyes. Before she could ask any questions, he helped her sat up and placed her nearby bow in her lap. He quickly pulled an arrow out of her quiver on her back and handed it to her. "Shoot an arrow through its other eye, now! After, we need to quickly grab the shard!"

A bit dazed, Kagome stood up and surveyed her surroundings. Needless to say, she was astounded to see Sesshomaru. She started to wonder why and when he got here until the oni roared, bringing her from her thoughts. Such things could wait until later, right now they needed to defeat this thing. She nocked the arrow and released a deep breath as she focused on her target. With a silent prayer for it to hit the mark, she released.

The bright light emitted as her arrow hit even made Sesshomaru shield his eyes, not that he would admit it. As the light dimmed, it revealed that a large part of the oni was purified. Its body fell backward and laid on the ground once more. With Kagome's help, Inuyasha darted to it and pulled out the jewel shard embedded into its skin.

Motion from the corner of her eye made Kimiko glance at her sister. As Sango began to sit up, Kimi felt relieved and decided to focus on her savior. She hurried to Sesshomaru's side. "Are you okay," she asked.

He held back a growl as he stared at her. Her worried expression didn't sit well with him. It offended him that she thought something as weak as that would've severely hurt him. However, a small part of him liked the fact she was worried about his well being.

"It would take much more than that petty attempt to kill this one."

As a smile replaced her worried expression, it triggered something in him. He felt... warm. It reminded him of how he'd feel when Rin would laugh and smile at him, except it felt different. The feeling was nearly the same but something was off. As he was about to shrug it off, the feeling radiated as she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He didn't speak nor did he push her away. The idea to do so popped into his head, yet he didn't. This woman triggered strange reactions in him and for the life of him, he could not understand why. He knew it had something to do with his beast, his raw instinct and emotion; his true self. It was something he needed to investigate at a later time.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing," Miroku whispered as he began to stand up.

"Yeah," Sango replied as she helped him. She didn't know how to take in the sight in front of her. Kimiko, her sister, was hugging the Lord of the West, who also wasn't complaining about it.

"If you think that is something, you should've seen when he pushed her out of the way so he'd get hit instead," Shippo commented from Kirara's back as she walked up to them.

"That would explain his wound," Kagome replied.

Inuyasha remained silent. He was trying to process all that was happening. The Sesshomaru he knew would have killed anyone who tried to get near him, let alone hug him. Nor would he have tried to save someone else. He wasn't thrilled about it, but perhaps, Kimiko truly was Sesshomaru's Kikyo. The one who could change his brother for the better.

A blush covered Kimiko's face as she pulled away. "Sorry, I don't know what got into me."

"Hn."

She twirled her hair around her finger as she tried to think of what to say. "So, what brought you here?"

His eyes watched as she played with her hair. "This one was hunting and smelled your blood."

Her finger stopped twirling as she gazed at him seriously. "You smelled my blood?"

"Your arms and legs are cut, are they not?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. He wondered if she paid enough attention during the battle to know that she was hurt. Perhaps, she had hit her head and was having memory problems.

"No, that's not what I mean."

"Oh, shit," Inuyasha whispered as his ears flattened against his head.

Kimiko crossed her arms as she stared at Sesshomaru. "Your sense of smell may be amazing but to smell my blood means you still have to be close. Even if the smell was faint, Inuyasha would have been able to smell your scent as well." She turned her attention to the hanyo. "You told me he wasn't anywhere near us! That you couldn't even find his scent!"

"Busted," Shippo sang.

She glared at Shippo, "Don't think I'm not upset with you as well! Same goes for you Kirara!" The nekomata whined as she lowered her head.

"Kimiko, I'm sure they were just worried about-", Miroku began to speak.

Kimiko interrupted, "Worried about what? Sesshomaru? He brought me back to life and helped me find you all! Hell, he helped me when Naraku appeared! He's been more of a friend to me than any of you!" Tears began to form as she glared at them all. "You knew I wanted to see Rin again and that I had a nagging feeling to find her! You claimed you'd help, yet you obviously didn't try!"

 _Friend_. Sesshomaru didn't know how to feel about that. He never had one nor did he feel he needed one. He wasn't sure if he wanted to give her the luxury of calling him such. However, there was a more pressing matter at hand. Rin needed her mother. He figured if he ever needed to take the woman, it'd be slightly difficult. Yet, right now it couldn't be any easier.

"This one came here for his own curiosity. These matters do not interest me." He turned around and began to walk away. "Stay or follow if you wish."

Kimiko watched as he walked away. _Stay or follow._ She looked at her group and friends. Their expressions told her they wanted her to stay. Even though she was angry and hurt, her heart was split into two. Yet, the nagging feeling she had told her to follow. With one last glance at her friends, she did.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Jaken danced in front of Rin. He began to spin around and purposely tripped over his own feet. He glanced up at the girl only to see that she remained the same. Her face was void of all emotion. It reminded him of his lord, yet, somehow it was scarier. It was to the point that the imp was running out of ideas of what to do. Well, not totally. Jaken knew what needed to be done. His lord, on the other hand, was against the idea. Any time Jaken suggested they find the woman, Sesshomaru would give him a murderous look.

"That's it," Jaken exclaimed. "I'm sorry my lord, but you are wrong!"

"What is it that I am wrong about?"

Jaken froze. He dared not look behind him, but he knew he had to. With quick speed, he spun around, bowed his head, and dropped to his hands and knees. "Forgive me! Please!"

"You haven't changed at all," Kimiko giggled.

The sound of her voice made his eyes widen and mouth drop. He slowly looked up and saw Sesshomaru holding a dead boar with Kimiko by his side. A part of him wondered if he was dreaming. Did his lord really let go of his pride and asked for help?

"Ma...Ma?" Rin stared at the woman as though she expected her to fade away at any moment.

The moment she heard her voice, Kimiko ran to the girl. "Rin, are you okay? Your voice sounds hoarse." She knelt down and placed her hand on her daughter's cheek. "You also seem a bit thin. Please tell me you have been eating."

Rin felt every emotion at once. It felt as though everything she had held in had finally broken the dam and came pouring out. She had so much she wanted to say but nothing came out. Instead, she could only cry as her mother embraced her tightly.

"I'm sorry," Kimiko whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be gone so long. I tried so hard to find you, I really did."

Sesshomaru watched the two cry as they held each other. The pain he felt in his chest was something new to him. It did not come from his recent wound. Instead, it felt as though it was coming from his heart. He did not care for this new sensation nor was he entirely sure what was causing it.

' **Guilt**.'

Sesshomaru dropped the boar to the ground and motioned for Jaken to clean and cook it. After, he walked towards a tree, sat down, and closed his eyes as he talked with his beast. ' _What exactly do you mean?_ '

' **It is what you are feeling.** '

' _This one feels guilty of nothing._ '

' **I am the raw essence of you. You may be the logical and tactical one, but I know the matters of our heart. I know all of what you deny exists. Our desires, insecurities, and fears. The emotionless exterior you use on others will never work on me. So, lying to me is pointless.'**

' _..._ '

' **Your silence proves that you know I am right. Now, if you haven't figured it out yet, you feel guilty for waiting to reunite them for so long. Which, would not have happened if it hadn't been for me.** **For the longest, you refused to take the appropriate action that would have helped Rin. So, when we smelled Kimiko's blood, I decided to guide you in the right direction. You are welcome, by the way.** '

' _Your influence was not wanted.'_

' **No. However, it was needed. Besides, you cannot be entirely mad at me that she is here. You were the one to make the conscious decision to save her. Deny it if you wish, but we care for her.** '

' _Had I let her die, Rin would never have returned to normal.'_

' **If that is what you wish to believe. In any case, she left her pack and followed us. There is no way Rin would separate from her again. You know what needs to be done.** '

' _Hn._ '

Leaves crunched under small feet as they made their way to Sesshomaru. The sound caused him to open his eyes and stare at his young ward. He could not help but notice that she did lose weight. Something was going to have to be done about that.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered.

"Yes?" He watched as she stared at her feet playing with her fingers.

Rin stood there in silence for a moment, debating on how to go about the subject. She had not talked to him in quite some time. A part of her was worried he was still mad like he was when he snapped at her.

"Look at me, Rin." As her chestnut brown eyes met his amber eyes, he sighed. "This one should not have lashed out at you... I ... apologize." Sesshomaru thought he needed to say more. He decided against doing so when Rin threw her arms around him. She buried her head into his chest and cried. Not sure what to do, he placed his hand on her back.

It surprised her that her lord apologized. She thought that she had done something wrong and that it was her who needed to do so. When she had approached him, she planned to apologize as well as thank him. Rin continued to cry, but not because she was sad. It was tears of relief and happiness. Her mother was back and she was on good terms with Sesshomaru again.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After they ate, Kimiko told Rin stories of what happened while she was away. Including how Sesshomaru saved her more than once. When she was done, Rin took the chance to tell her mother how Sesshomaru rushed off to find her when the wind sorceress told them that Kimiko was dying. Kimiko had wondered what exactly Sesshomaru was told. She had figured it was just the location of Naraku or something of the sort. She never expected that he left to check on her well being.

Sesshomaru had tuned out the chatter between the two. He was focused on something more important. When he realized that they had finished talking, he decided it was time. Quickly, he stood up and made his way to Kimiko. Realizing that he wanted to speak with her, she rose and slightly blushed. For some reason, as she looked at him she got butterflies in her stomach.

"Kimiko, this one wants to-"

"Kimiko!"

Everyone's attention focused on Inuyasha as he emerged from the treeline. Followed behind him was the rest of his group. Sesshomaru growled and walked in front of both her and Rin. Jaken immediately began to fuss at Inuyasha for intruding.

"Why do you intrude, brother?"

Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru. "Move out the way. Our business isn't with you."

"Sit boy!" As Inuyasha fell to the ground, Kagome walked up and sighed. "Please forgive us, we mean no trouble. The whole purpose of coming here was to apologize."

Kimiko walked to Sesshomaru's side with her arms crossed. "I'm listening."

Sango walked to her sister with a downcasted expression. "Kimi... I know you're upset..."

"No, you don't know. I am not upset. I'm furious and hurt! The ones I considered my friends and family didn't even want to help me!"

"Of course, I did," Sango shouted. "But, it's not like you were asking something easy! You wanted us to take you to Sesshomaru, someone who has actually tried to kill some of us! I'm sorry if that made me doubt that you would be safe!" She shook her head as tears fell. "Naraku took everything from me... I don't want to lose you too."

Kimiko quickly embraced her as she cried tears of her own. "I know it hurts. Trust me, I know. I miss them too." She pulled away and smiled sadly. "But, you need to trust me and the decisions I make for myself. No matter where I am or who I am with, I'll always be your sister and I'll always be there for you." Kimi stepped back and lightly grabbed Sesshomaru's left sleeve. She smiled briefly at him before focusing back on Sango. "You doubt him, but if it wasn't for him I would not be here. My dead body would still be floating down some river. He also protected me more than once on many separate occasions. Most of which was when I traveled with you guys."

"I know that... I am grateful for that, but the first vision you had since the attack on the village..."

"You of all people know that not all of them come true. Just because I see it doesn't mean it will absolutely happen. Hell, when I was a child I had a vision of me leaving my original village as an adult to find someone to spend my life with. My family and the other villagers were gathered at the entrance wishing me luck as I walked away." Kimi gently wiped away tears. It still caused her a bit of pain when she thought about her family. "Visions are just possible outcomes. Our actions can either make it come true or prevent them. I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in fear of something that may never come."

She knew her sister had valid points, yet, Sango could not help but worry. Perhaps it was because of fear. At one point in her life, she felt so safe. She had always felt that nothing bad would ever happen. Her family was slayers, after all. They were the fearless heroes who helped the weak and scared. It was evil that feared them, not the other way around. Now, she felt as if everyone around her would be taken from her one day.

"Slayer," Sesshomaru began, "you mourn for a great loss. That same loss has now placed a fear in you that you allow to cloud your mind. You fear that this one will take her life, yet this one has only helped her. If you fear the vision, then cast that aside as well. This one is prepared to defend her even if it means this one's death."

To say that everyone was shocked was an understatement. Most knew what his statement meant and none truly expected it. Inuyasha slightly wondered if he was imagining this whole situation or if he just heard incorrectly.

"W-Wait," Sango stuttered. "Are you saying..."

Sesshomaru sighed as he turned his gaze to Kimiko. When he had planned to say this, he didn't exactly think it would be in front of his brother's pack. Not that he cared what they thought. He just wanted to avoid any other unnecessary drama. Mainly from Inuyasha.

"Kimiko," he stated. "This one wants you to join his pack. Until there comes a time that this one obtains a mate, you will be the alpha female. You shall receive everything you could ever want or need. Should there ever be a danger, this one will protect you to the death. In return, you shall take on all responsibilities of being Rin's mother and tend to her needs in this one's absence."

A blush covered Kimiko's face as he said she would be alpha female. Normally, when given such a title, it was implied you were the alpha male's mate. An image of them as a couple ran through her mind and her heart skipped a beat. As she shook the thought from her head, she smiled and tilted her head to the side. She pulled her hair away to reveal her neck. She did not fully know everything about yokai customs, but she knew in a moment like this, submitting was a good sign. Doing so could either meant you recognized them as the stronger one or that you trust them. After he gave a nod, she returned her head to its normal position.

As she observed the two, Sango stayed silent. When they were finished, she focused on Sesshomaru. After a deep breath, she said, "Do you promise to protect her? And what if I wish to see her?"

"This one is bound by honor to do so. Should she want to visit, this one will leave her in your pack's care for a short time."

Deciding that it was the best answer she would get, Sango turned to Kimi. "I know I haven't been the best friend or sister..."

Kimiko hugged her once more. "I know what you're gonna say. Don't worry, I forgive you."

As Sango hugged her sister back, Inuyasha walked up to them. He awkwardly scratched his head. "Is there any way you could forgive me too?"

She pulled away from Sango and smiled at him. "Of course. Though I knew I would be okay, you guys didn't. I had wanted you all to just take my word for it and help me. I never really focused on how you guys felt on the matter. I focused on the fact that no one would help me to get back to Rin and didn't think about that you were all worried about my safety." Kimiko smiled at the others who walked up to her. "Don't worry. I forgive you guys too."

Rin cautiously approached them. Her tiny fingers unconsciously played with her kimono as she stared at Sango. "Does this mean you aren't going to try to take my mom," Rin asked. Her voice held uncertainty and fear.

As Sango examined the girl, she felt her heart break. Rin reminded her of herself at that age. She had the same expression and tone when she asked if her father if her mother would be okay. The pain of that moment rushed back to her and she cursed herself for not helping to reunite these two. She knelt down and smiled at Rin, "Of course not. When she left, we were not on good terms and we just wanted to make things right. Now that we have, we should probably get going soon."

As Rin's face brightened up, Kimiko smiled. As she glanced up at the sky, an idea struck. "You know," she began, "night is going to fall soon. All of you could just spend the night here." She paused for a moment and turned to Sesshomaru. "If that is alright with you of course."

"If that is what you want."

Almost everyone was happy about that idea. Jaken wasn't thrilled as well as Inuyasha. Sesshomaru internally sighed and strode back to the tree where he had originally sat. He began to wonder if he was going to regret bringing her into his pack and if things like this would happen often.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

In a dark room, wicked cackling filled the air. He had watched as the oni he sent nearly killed Inuyasha's group. When he saw Sesshomaru arrive, he knew his bait had worked. It surprised him when the Lord of the West saved the woman and took the blow instead. However, it also pleased him. Naraku now had a way to defeat Sesshomaru.

When the slayer and the woman began to argue, he half-heartedly watched as he began to lose interest. It was the talk of visions that made him fully pay attention again. As they started a path of forgiveness, something that made him want to vomit, he pulled away from the mirror and sent Kanna away. He had much to think about and to plan. Perhaps he wouldn't kill the woman as quickly as he had planned too.

 **.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

 **Feel like the whole argument thing needed some work.**

 **Other versions had Sesshomaru finding her in a river as she fished (he snuck up on her and scared causing her to fall in), him going back home and a servant convincing him to do what was best for Rin, and Inuyasha going confront Sesshomaru about being close by.**

 **There were lots of others too. Some short, some long. Some of them just seemed everyone was out of character so I decided against them.**

 **Then there were also some where it made them seem that they got together way to fast.**


	11. Chapter 11

Blue and pink mixed beautifully in the sky, creating purple. Orange began to seep into pink as the sun just began to rise. A peaceful silence filled the cool air and fresh dew laid upon nearly everything. It was a beautiful sight. Kimiko loved the moments when she woke up early before the others. With all the fighting from their quest, it made moments of serenity, like this, much more enjoyable.

As she laid on the ground, she stretched. It might be weird to say but she always loved that feeling. Her muscles stretching to release the stiffness and kinks in her back and legs. She let out a quiet yawn as she gradually sat up. She wiped her eyes and looked around.

Most of the group surrounded a campfire that had long gone out. Kagome held Shippo as they slept, Miroku laid not far from Sango, and Rin was curled up by Kimiko. A blob of red in a tree caught her eye. She looked up and saw Inuyasha had fallen asleep on a branch. Honestly, she was surprised that he slept at all. With Sesshomaru here, one would figure that Inuyasha wouldn't feel safe enough to sleep. Speaking of the daiyokai, she realized that she didn't even see him. A glance behind her only revealed that Jaken and Ah-Un had slept together a distance away from her. The good news was that this meant he would be back.

Kimiko quietly stood up and placed the blanket she shared back onto Rin. She made her way to one of Kagome's bags and pulled out a pot. Since she probably wouldn't see her friends for a while, Kimi felt that today was the best day to cook some Ramen. Though it was food from the future, it was a simple thing to cook. She had watched Kagome do it so many times. However, she was going to have to find some type of meat to put into it. Ramen was tasty and filling, but it wouldn't keep you full for long. Rin had already lost some weight and needed to eat well.

She placed the pot next to the extinguished campfire and reached into the bag once more. This time, she pulled out a large water bottle. A frown appeared on her face as she realized it was empty. With a sigh, she stood up once more and made her way into the forest. As she went into the forest, it became harder to see. The sun had only just begun to rise and the trees blocked most of the light it provided. After a minute of walking through the trees, a stinging pain in her left calf made her freeze. A quick glance down revealed that a snake was bitting her. At first, she wanted to panic, it wasn't until she realized that its head was rounded did she calm down. It wasn't venomous, yet, she didn't understand why it bit her. Taking a second to examine the reptile closer, she realized her left foot was on top of the rest of its body.

Tenderly, she grabbed the snake not far from its head and picked up her foot. It released its mouth from her leg as the rest of its body was free. She muttered an apology and carefully placed it onto the ground. After it quickly slithered away, she continued.

When she arrived at a small stream, she felt relieved. Her shock from the bite had worn off and no longer hid the burning pain. Swiftly, she filled the container with water and closed it. Then, she placed her calf in the stream and splashed water onto the wound. The water washed away the blood and added cool relief.

"I'm beginning to think misfortune is drawn to you."

Her lavender eyes widened as she jumped. She turned around quickly and looked at who stood behind her. When she spotted the amusement that danced in his eyes, she glared at him. "Shut up." Kimiko stood up and softly shook her wet leg. "What are you doing here?"

"When I returned from my hunt, you were not there," Sesshomaru stated. "I smelled your blood and followed the scent." The amusement in his eyes vanished as he became serious. "You shouldn't go off on your own alone, especially without a weapon."

"It was only a snake. Don't worry, it wasn't poisonous. I couldn't see well and stepped on it." She ran a hand through her black hair and pushed it behind her back. "As for a weapon, I forgot it when I chose to follow you. Not that it was any good. It was an old and rusted sword we found as we traveled."

He focused on her left leg and took a few steps forward. "Sit."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to be Kagome or something?"

"Sit."

This time, he said the word firmer and she decided to obey. As she sat down on the ground with her legs out in front of her, he knelt down and leaned in. She couldn't help but noticed the closeness between them and blushed. She could feel the heat in her face and silently cursed at herself. When he placed his hand on her ankle, her blush darkened. For a moment, she thought he was pushing his hand further up her leg. She was proven wrong when he pulled her to him by the ankle.

"W-What are you doing," she stuttered.

He had positioned himself in between her legs. One by his side and the other in the air by his head. Sesshomaru did not answer as he brought her wound to his lips. His lips parted and he slipped out his tongue as he began to lick her leg.

A surge of emotions had gone through her at that moment. Embarrassment, pain, and... pleasure. It hurt as his tongue continuously passed over the bite. Yet, as time went by, the pain went away and electricity shot out from where his tongue would touch, sending shivers down her spine. Then, before she knew it, it was over.

Sesshomaru pulled away and stood up. Though his face did not show it, he was once more having an internal battle. It was of no surprise to him that the woman was attracted to him. She had openly admitted as such. What surprised him, was that he responded to her. He had licked her wound in order to heal it. By the time she began to enjoy it, the wound had faded away long ago. The woman had enjoyed it and he continued because of it.

"Sesshomaru?"

Her voice drugged him from his thoughts and into reality. His eyes focused on her as her lavender eyes gazed at him with worry. He had never realized that she had stood up as well. Nor had he realized she had also placed a hand on his cheek.

"Are you alright," she asked. "Your eyes have red in the corners. You've also been standing there for a while."

He heard her but did not answer. Instead, he was focused on her words. Red. There was only one reason that color would be in his eyes.

He growled mentally, ' _What is it that you are after now?!_ '

' **I did nothing.** '

' _Lies! You made this one react-'_

' **I can take over during certain times or even help to influence. However, I did nothing. You chose to react on your own. Smell.** '

Though anger fueled him, Sesshomaru listened to his beast. He inhaled and his eyes widened. The reason he had never realized it beforehand had escaped him. There was no denying it now, however. She was approaching a period of fertility.

Normally, this would be of no problem to him. Many demonesses would seek him out when they were fertile in hopes that a mating would take place as a result. He always dismissed them due to the fact that he had no interest. Yet, he had started to act like the yokai of the lowest rank. They procreated the same way animals did; just because a female was in heat.

He tightly grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face. As he released it, he coldly said, "This one is fine." He turned around and began to walk towards the camp. "This one has healed your wound. We leave the moment Rin and you are done eating."

Kimiko stared at her wrist confused and hurt. First, he was fine, then he made her feel a mix of emotions, and now he was cold towards her. She wished she could understand how his mind worked.

With a sigh, she grabbed the water container and followed behind him. "Going back to talking about yourself in the third person, I see."

The Lord of the West didn't respond. He was preoccupied with the fact that he was surprised again. He had not realized that he had stopped referring to himself as 'this one'.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Everyone, except for Sesshomaru, gathered around the small fire. It warmed her heart as Kimiko watched Rin. The girl stared at the boiling pot excitedly as she sat in the slayer's lap, who was styling her hair. Sango saw how much Rin loved flowers and had the idea to put them in her hair. It was a time-consuming thing, but she carefully tied strands of hair to the stems of small white flowers.

It amazed Kimiko that they bonded quickly. Once Rin realized her new aunt wouldn't take her mom away, she began to ask Sango thousands of questions. Most were about Kimiko when they were younger. Sango was quick to tell embarrassing stories of her sister.

"We are going to need more water," Kagome declared as she drained the water from the noodles. "I was only able to cook enough for a few of us."

Kimiko stood up, "I'll go."

"Jaken." All eyes turned to Sesshomaru. Since he and Kimiko had returned, he had never spoken. Instead of sitting with the group, he sat against a tree away from everyone. "Go with her."

"Yes, m-"

"Inuyasha, come with me." Kimiko gave Sesshomaru an annoyed look as she began to walk towards the stream. Sure, she got bit by a snake. It's not like it was poisonous. Plus, the forest was dark at the time. The sun was high enough now, that she could see where she stepped. Then again, lately she did have a tendency of running into problems when she was alone.

"What's bothering you," Inuyasha asked. He had waited to speak until they were farther away from camp. Whether Sesshomaru could still hear them or not, he didn't know for sure. If he could, he'd probably have to strain to listen.

Kimiko sighed and stopped in her tracks. "Your brother," she answered. Inuyasha was probably the worst choice to talk with about Sesshomaru, however, he was probably the one who knew the most about the daiyokai. Jaken would likely praise Sesshomaru for everything he did, even if it was the fact he stepped on an ant. "This morning, he seemed more like a person. As if his own personality was seeping through, not his cold demeanor."

Inuyasha froze. Was she slowly breaking Sesshomaru's walls as Kikyo did for him? "Then, he went back to being high and mighty?"

"Yeah. Right after he licked me."

If he was shocked before then Inuyasha had no idea what to call the feeling he now had. Though, such an action had multiple meanings, especially for an inu yokai. Still, most of it dealt with mates and courting.

"Please, stop looking at me like that." She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "I stepped on a harmless snake and it bit my leg. Sesshomaru eventually appeared and licked the bite. When he pulled away, the wound was gone."

His body relaxed from its tense state as he let out a deep breath. "An Inu's saliva has healing properties to it. Even mine, but not to an extent to heal a wound that quickly."

Kimiko nodded and continued to walk. It explained why he did such a thing, however, something still bothered her. When they arrived at the stream, she knelt down and placed the large water bottle into it. "We were in an awkward position and at first it hurt." She blushed and slowly said, "Then, I started to like it. Not long after, he quickly backed away. There was red in the corners of his eyes."

As she told him, he became rigid. She found it enjoyable and Sesshomaru was tempted by it. He didn't mind if she broke through the bastard's walls, but now he was worried for her. Even he could sense she would soon be fertile. Most of his group were women so he was used to it. The only one that ever really bothered him was Kagome, but she usually went home for that time. The fact that his brother was even tempted by it showed that the daiyokai was attracted to her in some way.

The question he now faced was if he should tell her. Sesshomaru cared too much about honor to force himself on her. Then, there was the fact that she was human. Distant yokai ancestry or not, she wasn't a full yokai. That was something he was sure his brother would struggle with. If he did tell her, it would make things awkward for her, but she would also be prepared. "Kimiko, listen. I- Kimiko?"

It wasn't until now that he realized his friend was staring into space. Her eyes seemed as if they had a soft glow to them. He waved his hand in front of her and she did not move. A moment passed before it dawned on him that she was likely having a vision.

Eventually, she blinked a few times and grabbed his sleeve. "Inuyasha, we need to get to camp now!

"Wha-"

"Now!"

Without another word, he picked her up and darted to the others. Everyone turned to them as they ran into camp. Kagome raised her eyebrow when she saw Inuyasha held Kimiko bridal style. She said sternly, "That was a long trip for some water."

Sesshomaru's golden eyes glared at his brother. The reason he had told Jaken to go was not only for protection but because he knew that the imp wouldn't try anything. His brother, on the other hand, he had no faith in. He already knew about the miko and the undead one. The way Inuyasha was holding _his_ alpha female gave him no credit.

As Inuyasha set her down, Kimiko spoke, "We need to leave now! Rin, get on Ah-Un!"

"What's going on," Sango asked as she stood up.

"Naraku has been watching us this whole time," she announced. "He's coming."

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Is that why you are freaking out? We outnumber him. This will be easy!"

"I doubt it will be as easy as you think," Miroku muttered.

"Kimiko, Rin, get on Ah-Un." The moment her lord spoke, Rin ran to the two-headed dragon without a second thought. As she climbed onto Ah-Un, Sesshomaru stood up and drew out Tokijin. He could finally sense Naraku approaching. "Jaken, take them to the castle."

"I can't ride with them," Kimiko responded. As Sesshomaru glared at her, she continued, "He's been watching us since yesterday. He knows about me. That's why he is coming. If I go with Rin, that puts her in danger."

Both golden and lavender eyes focused on each other. After a moment, Sesshomaru motioned for Jaken to go. Rin began to protest, but before she could say anything, Ah-Un took to the sky.

Sango's anxiety was up. It seemed the thing she wanted most not to happen, was going to happen. She felt at fault. Sure, Naraku had been watching them and might have found out eventually. But, she was the one to go out right and say it. She turned to Sesshomaru, "Take her and go. We'll distract him. You gave Rin a head start, so follow after her. If Naraku realizes and does follow after you, at least he can't catch up to Rin. If he doesn't follow at all, then you have nothing to worry about."

Kimiko shook her head, "I'm not leaving you when-"

"I'm trying to protect the little family I have left," Sango interrupted. "We will be fine. Chances are he was planning to take you when we were distracted. Once he realizes you aren't here, he won't stay. We'll be a diversion long enough for you to make it to safety." She focused back on Sesshomaru. "You said you would protect her, so do it."

"Hn."

Kimiko ran to Sango and threw her arms around her. "I don't agree with this at all. Just promise me you won't die."

Her arms tightened around Kimiko as she said, "I promise."

As they let go of each other, Sesshomaru sheathed his sword. He went to Kimiko and quickly wrapped his arm around her. A cloud formed around their feet and she yelped as they took to the air with speed. She held onto him tightly as they flew for miles. The view was truly beautiful, sadly, she was too filled with worry to even enjoy it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

To say that his castle was beautiful was an understatement. It was tall just as it was wide. The outside walls were white with gold trim and a black roof. A wall of the same colors surrounded the castle with a large gate in front. Cherry blossom trees grew all over within the castle grounds with a few red maple trees as well. Inside, the wood floors were a beautiful dark brown and the walls were white just like the outside.

The room that Kimiko loved the most so far was her own room. The floor was the same as the rest of the castle, but the walls were golden. The wall behind her large cot had a beautiful painting of a waterfall surrounded by trees on it. A sheer curtain was tied back. If it was undone, it would hang in front of the cot, giving her a sense of privacy as she slept.

She heard laughter from her open balcony door and went to it. The sight took her breath away. Her balcony overlooked the castle's garden. There were even more cherry blossom and red maple trees, as well as tons of different flowers and bushes. It wasn't long before she found the source of the laughter. Rin was running through the garden as she and a maid played a game of chase.

Kimiko smiled and felt relieved. She didn't think the servants would welcome them as they had done. They weren't stuck up or even slightly rude. Instead, they were all kind and caring. The only bad thing was that they all assumed she was Sesshomaru's mate until he quickly shut down that rumor. While he was upset by it, she only blushed.

When it came to the opposite sex, she had no experience and was easily embarrassed by such things. She was welcomed in the slayer village, but that did not mean it was completely easy for her. Lavender eyes were not a normal thing for a human. It was a constant reminder of her ancestry. This made everyone her age timid around her. While many boys flirted with Sango and other girls, she was left alone. It was the kids who were years younger than her that had accepted her. They thought her eyes were cool and had found her fun to play with.

A light knock on the room's door brought her out of her thoughts. "Come in."

A maid with blonde hair entered the room and bowed. "Kimiko-sama. I've come to get you ready for lunch." She stood up straight and made her way to the wardrobe. She opened it and turned to Kimiko. "Is there anything, in particular, you would like to wear, Kimiko-sama?"

"You can just call me Kimiko. Anything more seems a bit weird."

The maid's blue eyes widened. "I-I couldn't-"

"Please. At least when we are in private."

Her blue eyes focused on the ground as she thought it over. It was not a simple task that her new lady had asked of her. Such a thing went against centuries of tradition and rules that had been engraved inside her head. With a soft sigh, she looked up at Kimiko. "As you wish, Kimiko."

Kimiko's face lit up as she smiled happily. She turned her attention to the wardrobe and bit her lip in thought. "What do you think would look best?"

Blue eyes scanned her up and down repeatedly. The maid then hurried to the wardrobe and pulled out a beautiful dark purple kimono. It was not long before Kimiko was stripped and redressed. The experience was slightly awkward for her, but she tried her best to keep a calm mind. When the maid was done, Kimiko examined herself. Flowers of different shades of purple and white decorated her left shower, the bottom of both sleeves, and a large area around her legs. The obi she now wore was yellow and had a matching pattern. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I am glad you like it." The maid escorted her to a large mirror. After plucking and refining Kimiko's eyebrows, the maid had Kimiko open her mouth wide. When she did, the yokai smiled happily. "I see you do not do Ohaguro."

Kimiko shook her head gently. "No. I never saw the appeal in that." Ohaguro was a custom of dyeing your teeth black. Such a thing was common among noble women when they came of age. When Sango had told her of the custom when they were young, she thought her sister was lying. Sure she had lived in a village that was hidden from the outside world, but she couldn't believe people would do that. It wasn't until years later when Miroku convinced a noble that a spirit haunted his home did Kimiko believe. The man's daughter had black teeth.

The maid lightly laughed as she applied makeup to Kimi's face. It was only enough to heighten the natural beauty she had. "That is good to hear. My kind has never understood that custom. As well as the custom of painting your face white, which, I hear is beginning to end. Yokai prefer natural and if makeup is used, it is only a little bit to add to one's natural beauty." The maid pulled away after she applied a light shade of pink to Kimiko's lips. "Do you prefer your hair up or down?"

"Down is fine. I don't want to take to much of your time."

The maid bowed. "It is an honor to do this." As she stood straight again, she grabbed a brush and began to brush her lady's hair.

"I just realized," Kimiko said, "I never asked your name."

"My name is Maemi."

"A truthful smile?" Surprise shone brightly in her eyes. "How odd. That was a topic I wanted to talk to you about."

Maemi tilted her head slightly as she brushed Kimiko's hair. "What do you mean?"

"Sesshomaru," she paused and added, "-sama." Now that she was considered his alpha female, if she only said his name, others would assume there was something between them. "Its a known that humans aren't his favorite thing in the world. I kind of expected the same from his servants or at least fake kindness."

"Yet, you have sensed nothing of the sort."

A small smile appeared on Maemi's face as she stopped brushing and walked in front of her lady. "Every servant here, excluding Sir Jaken, have been hand-picked by the late InuTaisho. When he left Sesshomaru-sama's mother, many were outraged. While it is common to mate for political reasons, it is not common to leave a mate for another. Especially, for a human." She set the brush down and grabbed a large hand mirror. As she handed it over, she said, "The backlash upset him. He wanted his new mate to be welcomed by those that she would encounter here. So, he told all the servants who hated humans or that could not respect them to leave. New servants replaced those that left and he then investigated everyone to ensure no bad apples were in the mix. After his father passed away, Sesshomaru-sama allowed Izayoi-sama and her son to stay here."

Astounded and confused, Kimiko grabbed the mirror from her. Instead of looking at herself in it, she laid it on her lap. Her brows furrowed as she focused on her thoughts. The last bit of information she had received made no sense to her. "Why would he do that? Doesn't he hate them?"

Her smile turned to one of sadness as she closed her blue eyes and shook her head. "Being involved in yokai court requires one to have their barriers up. When Toga-sama died, my lord had never felt such a loss. It made him barricade his heart even more. He had allowed them to stay here due to honor and the respect he held for his late father. His icy nature made Izayoi-sama feel as though she was a bother, so she returned to her own home."

"When she died, he kept his distance from Inuyasha, not wanting to deal with the loss of his brother. Am I right?"

When Maemi nodded, Kimiko let out a sigh. "I never met someone so smart who was so stupid." Maemi's eyes widened as she tried to warn her lady not to say such things. However, Kimiko didn't care and interrupted her. "He caused more pain by staying away. Inuyasha grew up alone and only knew a brother who seemed to not want anything to do with him. When Inuyasha dies, no matter how much distance he kept away, it will still hurt him."

Deciding it was time to change the subject, Maemi cleared her throat. "We took a bit of time getting ready. The food should be prepared now if you will follow me."

As Maemi walked towards the door, Kimiko took a quick look at herself in the mirror. She released a small gasp. When it came to how she looked, she had never felt that she was pretty. At the moment, she felt beautiful. Her lips had more color to them, her cheeks had a soft pink, and the black that outlined her top eyelids made her eyes seem bigger. Quickly, she placed the mirror down and followed Maemi.

To say that the dining room was gorgeous was an understatement. The walls were a beautiful gold, like her room, with painted scenery. The dark wooden floor seemed to glow due to the many metal lanterns that hung from the entire ceiling. In the center of the room was a long table with chairs all around it.

"Sesshomaru-sama had traveled to a place far from here. He had liked the way they dined so much that he had it recreated here," Maemi whispered.

It disappointed Kimiko a little bit when she found out Sesshomaru wasn't joining Rin and her for lunch. She was, however, a bit excited and nervous about talking to him. In the middle of their lunch, a servant told her Sesshomaru wanted to speak with her after she was done. The only possible topic she could think of was Sango and the others. As soon as both he and she arrived at the castle, Sesshomaru went back alone. This only made her wonder if they were badly injured or worse.

After having a maid lead her to his study, Kimiko stood at the door. Lightly, her knuckles tapped against the door. Had he been a human, he might have not heard the noise. When she heard him tell her to come in, she opened the door and walked in slowly. Anxiety filled her as she entered. His study was decorated with furniture that was not traditional to this land. She wondered if this was more things that he had recreated here.

Moments passed by as Sesshomaru quietly stared at documents. She awkwardly shifted her weight between each leg, waiting for him to say something. It wasn't until she cleared her throat that he looked up. As his eyes gazed at her, his eyes widened a tiny bit. It was an action that she missed. He tossed away whatever thoughts he had and focused on why he had called her here.

"It was as you claimed. Naraku's target was you."

Her breath hitched in her throat. She knew he was now after her, yet, the idea was still able to bother her. It wasn't her safety that she was concerned about. Naraku loved to use those you cared about against you. That meant her sister, daughter, and friends would be in possible danger because of her. Though, Rin was her main concern. The others were already after Naraku in the first place so it was no new danger for them.

Sensing her unease, he placed the document he held down. "Just as the slayer said, he left when he realized his plan had failed. There was a small battle, but they are unharmed." He grabbed a scroll of his desk and stood. After he walked around his desk, he handed it to her. She grabbed it and opened it to see its contents. It was drawings of battle poses. "This one has arranged for you to train every day with the general of my army. In unlikely unforeseen circumstances that I cannot, you are to protect the pack. That is a duty of the alpha female."

Kimiko didn't think as she reacted to his news. She threw her arms around his neck as she hugged him happily. She was grateful that he was not wearing his armor. "Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama," she whispered.

The fact that she acknowledged his position surprised him as well as the fact she currently had her arms wrapped around him. The scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms invaded his senses and he inhaled it greedily. A warm feeling slowly radiated in his chest and a part of him liked it. As she pulled away, the warmth left as well as the need to breathe in her scent. She bowed to him before taking her leave. As the door closed behind her, he just stared as he recovered from his quick daze. He couldn't understand why he kept acting in such ways. However, he knew he was going to keep his distance to prevent it from ever happening again.

 **.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Let me know if Sesshomaru feels out of character or if it seems things are going to fast between them. I liked parts of this chapter and parts I didn't care for. I continue to doubt how well I am doing with this story lol.**

 **On a separate note, I want you guys to tell me what you like! Do you like a happy ending, tragedy, no cliches, all of the cliches, etc.? I have many ideas on how to proceed with this story and how to end it as well as new characters to introduce. I am mainly curious to know everyone's likes and dislikes ^^**


	12. Chapter 12

**I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me and this story. Thank you to those that have reviewed, favorited, and followed!**

 **This chapter is the longest I have done yet. Sadly, it is not by much. Chapter 8 had exactly 5,670 words and this chapter has 5,685. Not a big difference but I am hoping to start making even longer ones. Unless you rather them this length or shorter.**

 **On another note, I am thinking of a book cover to add. I would do a drawing myself but I am not crazy about my art. If you have any ideas, let me know. I might end up leaving it blank or just throw Sesshomaru up there.**

 **In any case, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think in a review!**

 _ **.-.-.-.-.-.-.**_

"Too fast!"

The woman's high-pitched voice was beginning to give Kimiko a headache. For the past few days, Kimiko was given the task of learning proper etiquette as well as learning about nobles and the leaders of other lands. As well as training in combat. The subject she now struggled with was walking correctly. Never had she had to focus so hard on how to walk. Back perfectly straight, hands in correct position, chin up, and slow steps. The task sounded so much easier than what it actually was.

She slowed down her pace as she walked, trying her best to do so gracefully. One foot in front of the other as she tried her best to ignore the weight of the countless layers of kimono she currently wore. Now that she was Sesshomaru's alpha female, there would be many times she would have to be by Sesshomaru's side when he addressed the court. A perfect example was the upcoming week. Sesshomaru was to present her to the court and state his intentions with her. It was less about tradition and more so about killing any rumors that would spread about taking a human for a mate. Something about that didn't sit right with her.

"Enough," the woman exclaimed as she covered her face with her hand. Using one of her tails, she pushed some of her long snow-white hair behind her back. The other eight tails stood out against her black and pink ombre kimono with floral patterns. Eyes the color of cinnamon rested on Kimiko. "We've been at this for hours and you still have yet to fully master the proper way to walk."

"You try walking while wearing twenty layers of kimonos," Kimiko retorted.

The woman smiled happily but her face had a sinister look to it. "It seems that my lady has not learned how to speak properly as well. We shall have to start even earlier tomorrow morning."

Just as Kimiko went to argue, she bit her tongue. She was sure that if she replied at all that even more hours of this torture would be added on. One lesson from the slayers had always stuck with her. Do **NOT** mess with a kitsune, especially if it has more than three tails. The kitsune in front of her happened to have nine.

Thankful for being dismissed, Kimiko quickly set out on a quest to her room. More than anything, she felt the need to rest in her bed. As soon as she had made it into her room, Maemi began to strip her of the layers. As the weight slowly lightened, she had realized just how much her back and feet truly hurt. It did not pair well with the constant pain in her abdomen.

After she was casually dressed once more, Maemi left to make preparations for Kimi to bathe. It was not long after that, that the bedroom door was frantically opened, revealing a distressed Rin. Within seconds, the small girl closed the distance between her and her mother and threw her arms around her sobbing.

All pain was ignored as she knelt down and pulled her daughter into her lap. Kimiko gently rocked back and forth as she ran her fingers through Rin's hair. Softly she hummed the same tune she once sang to Rin. It wasn't until Rin calmed down did she asked what was wrong.

Rin slowly wiped tears from her eyes as she looked at her mother. "I want to go home," she muttered as fought the need to cry again.

Kimiko tilted her head as she looked quizzically at Rin. Home? Before Sesshomaru found her, Rin was an orphan. Since then, Rin had never stayed in one spot long enough to call it home. Did she mean she missed her deceased family? "Rin, what exactly do you mean by 'home'?"

Her daughter stood up and walked to the balcony doors. She opened them and pointed to the open land in the distance. "Out there." She turned back to Kimiko and gazed at her sadly. "We didn't stay in one spot, but we were happy... Rin was happy. Since we came here, its all about lessons. Rin rarely sees you, Ah-Un, and Jaken. Rin has never seen Sesshomaru-sama since he brought us here. Rin just wants to be a family again."

Knots twisted inside of Kimiko's chest as she watched Rin. It felt as though her heart physically hurt. Part of her felt guilty for not making more of an effort to check on her. Another part of her felt as though she was failing badly at being Rin's mother. Wouldn't a true mother have noticed their child's unhappiness sooner? Then, there was the fact that part of her felt outraged. She had questioned Sesshomaru's absence frequently. No matter who she had asked, the answer was the same. 'I'm sorry, Kimiko-sama. He is busy with important affairs at the moment.'

It was one thing that she was put off to the side by him. She may have been his alpha female, but only for the sake of Rin. He had promised Kimiko safety and for all her desires to be fulfilled. None of that stated he had to be by her side regularly. However, tossing Rin to the side was a different matter. She herself may have not seen 'all high and mighty' recently, but she figured he would at least visit Rin. After all, whether he accepted it or not, he was her father figure.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I should have noticed that you were unhappy sooner." She smiled sadly as she went to Rin. Kimi knelt down and quickly kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'm going to fix this, I promise." Filled with determination and anger, she stood up and walked out of her room.

There was a change to Kimiko's senses, though she was to blinded by emotions to even notice. As she strode through the hallways, she couldn't see anyone, yet she could see everyone. They were not physically near her, yet in her mind's eye, she knew where everyone was and every movement they made. Had she been calmer, perhaps she would have been concerned or even intrigued by this. However, she was not calm. Her anger for Sesshomaru caused her to focus solely on him, on his essence that she could mentally see. When she finally found him in her mind's eye, her anger soared. He was on the other side of the castle enjoying the company of a female.

By the time she had reached the guest room they were currently in, it had felt like very little time had passed. She grabbed the sliding door and slid it open with such force that it nearly snapped. She gritted her teeth by the sight she was welcomed with. It was one thing to have mentally seen their essences together, it was another to see them in person as they laid on a cot together wrapped in silk sheets.

It only took the female yokai he was with a few seconds before she decided it was time to get the hell out of there. Gathering what clothing she could, she used it to cover herself as she ran out of the room. Barely giving her enough time to even leave, Kimiko slammed the sliding door shut.

Her chest rose and fell quickly as she breathed heavily. The noise of her exhaling through her nose filled the silence in the room. Furious lavender eyes glowed as they met red that was equally as angry.

"Leave," he spat. "This one does not care for those that act out of their place."

As angry as she was, Kimiko couldn't help but laugh. "I'm out of place? Take a look in a mirror, Sesshomaru. I haven't seen you in days and was told that you were too busy with 'important matters'. I guess acting like a dog in heat is imp-"

In a blink of an eye, his hand was around her throat as he held her up against a wall. He snarled, "Watch what you say, woman." He paused as he studied her eyes. As he inhaled her scent, the red in his eyes deepened. After a moment, he released his hold on her and walked to his pile of clothes and began to dress. "You may be this one's alpha female, but you are nothing more than a caretaker for Rin. This one has no responsibility to be near you at all times."

Kimiko rubbed her throat as she stalked towards him. "I don't care what responsibility you do or do not have for me. You have a responsibility to Rin. As an alpha, it is your job to see to her happiness and needs!"

Shirtless, he turned to her. "This one has done his part. She was saddened by not having you around and now she does. As for needs she is fed, clothed, and has shelter."

"She isn't some pet that you can just tell servants to take care of! Rin is a child! She needs love and attention!"

"Then, this one trusts that you can fulfill that duty. This one has no time for such nonsense."

She crossed her arms as she glared at him. If looks could kill, he'd have died a hundred times over. "You are an incompetent fool! If you really feel that way towards her, then why are you even bothering with us?!" As soon as she uttered those words, an idea popped into her head. The two brothers might not be able to stand each other, but they did have a lot in common. She turned around and took a step to the door, "I'm taking Rin to go join Inuyasha's pack and help them find Naraku. Maybe I'll run into that wolf yokai, Koga, again. If I accept his offer to be his woman, then perhaps Rin will finally have what she needs."

The distance between them closed in milliseconds. His hand shot out and tightly grabbed her wrist. He growled, "You will do no such thing!" The idea that Inuyasha would be able to protect both of them was absurd. The thought of her mating a wolf was even more so ridiculous. As stupid as he believed it to be, the more he thought about, the angrier he got.

Turning around, she gazed at him. "The fact that you are angry shows you do care." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. The male in front of her was so difficult and stubborn that she was sure he would just ignore what she would say. "You say you only accepted me into your pack to be a caretaker for Rin. That may hold some truth but it isn't all of it. If you really wanted to throw her to the side, you wouldn't have found me to help her. You would have let her continue the way she was until she eventually died. Caring is not a weakness, Sesshomaru. It is a strength." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "However, if you keep ignoring the ones you care about, you will lose them and feel that pain you keep trying to avoid."

As she spoke those words she felt a sudden pain inside her head. Her eyes shut as she clutched her head with both hands. Sesshomaru placed his hand on her shoulder as he repeatedly called out her name. Each time he said it with more worry than the last. She could hear him but the pain was crippling. It continued to get worse until... it just stopped. Confused, Kimiko pulled her hands away and opened her eyes. They were no longer in the room they were once in. Now they stood in Rin's room.

Sesshomaru surveyed his surroundings for the reason of the sudden change. The attempt to spread out his senses failed. He could only sense himself and Kimiko. Determined to get answers, he walked to the door and tried to open it. Each time he tried to touch it, his hand went through. "What sorcery is this," he growled.

"I-I think," Kimiko stuttered. There were only certain times she saw something like that happen. Yet, it was different. She never had someone with her before. "I think we are in a vision."

Before he could answer, the door opened. Jaken and Rin entered the room, walking straight through Sesshomaru as though he was an invisible ghost. In a way, he was. Kimiko wanted to laugh at the shock and amazement on his face, but she didn't. She was focused on Rin. The girl was wearing the exact same outfit from when they were in Kimiko's room.

"Rin wants to see Momma," Rin exclaimed at Jaken. It was a tone of demanding that Kimiko had never heard from Rin. For Sesshomaru, it reminded him of when he had first left the woman with his brother's group. How she would cry and demand to see her mother.

Jaken huffed, "I told you, insolent child! She is in lessons! Now, in an hour, a tutor will come in here to instruct you the proper-"

Rin steadily shook her head as she stomped her foot. "Lessons! Lessons! Lessons! Rin is tired of lessons! Rin wants to see Momma and Sesshomaru-sama!"

"I already told you about your mother. As for Sesshomaru-sama, he is extremely busy with very important matters! He does not have time to deal with you!"

As his words sunk in, Rin fell to her knees downcasted. She fought back tears that were threatening to spill. Her lord, the man she viewed as a father, didn't want to deal with her. She hated this place. She just wanted things to go back to how they were.

"Rin," Jaken sighed as he approached her and placed a hand on top her head, "I'll let him know you wish to see him. That is all I can really do." He turned around and proceeded to leave the room.

Not long after the door had closed did Rin allow herself to cry. And cry she did. It was something of the likes which neither of them had ever seen. It was enough to break a heart and even make Naraku feel uneasy. Kimiko knelt next to Rin and placed a hand on her shoulder, only to have it go through. She knew she couldn't touch Rin, but she wanted to make her tears go away. Soon, she began to cry tears herself as she watched the daughter she could not soothe. In a way, this vision was a form of torture.

He hated the sight before him. It showed him how truly imperfect he was. He had distanced himself to avoid acting in any more undesirable ways. Especially, since the woman's scent practically screamed out about her fertility. No matter how far away he was in the castle, he could still smell it. Smell her. As days progressed, he felt he was at his wit's end. He was repulsed by how he felt an attraction to her that he felt for no one else. Attraction. It was the only way he could explain why he felt the need to go to her during this time. Though, he wondered if it was more than that. When he chose to bed the female yokai, he did so to try to satisfy whatever desire he had. Doing so only made him feel empty. When Kimiko barged in, he was angry but more so at himself. He allowed her to see him in such a state.

In an attempt of trying to deal with his unwanted desires, he had neglected Rin. Something he didn't truly understand the effects of until now. As she cried in this echo of time, a pain in his chest radiated throughout his entire being. There was no punishment worse than knowing he was the one to have caused it. No matter what it took, he would fix the harm he had inadvertently caused.

"I want to be a family again," Rin cried as the vision began to fade away.

When all had returned to normal, they found themselves back in the guest room. As Sesshomaru went to speak, he watched as blood dripped from her nose. A second later, she collapsed.

With inhuman speed, he caught her and held her to his chest. "Kimiko," he called out as he shook her. When she failed to come to, he stood up cradling her in his arm and darted towards the castle's healer. As questions and worries formed in his mind, he quickly tossed them out. For now, he was focused on her well being. All else could wait.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Sesshomaru-sama, you should eat-" A glare from golden eyes silenced Jaken. With a sigh, the green imp quickly took his leave.

It had been a week since Kimiko collapsed. Besides exhaustion from being pushed to her limits, the healer could not find any illness as the cause for her unconscious state. When he was told nothing could be done, Sesshomaru made arrangement for Kimiko to stay in his room until she awoke. Since then, he had never left her side. It was something his beast felt needed to be done and frankly, Sesshomaru felt the same. He felt as though he was at fault for her current state.

Within that week, Sesshomaru sat by her side as he continued his duties as Lord of the West. He wrote letters on a small table that servants had brought for him. The letters told of how a more important matter had come up and that it needed to be tended to more than a waste of time tradition. He then gave the letters to Jaken to send out to those that were to attend. In the time he was not dealing with matters of the West, Sesshomaru tutored Rin. At first, she was too worried about her mother to concentrate on learning. So he told her to grab a book and he would help her to read stories to her mother.

Since then, every day, Rin would grab a book from his study and she would bring it to him. They sat side by side as she held the book, a finger sliding down each kanji. The first few books she just repeated every word Sesshomaru said. After a while, she started to recognize the ones that appeared frequently. Though she still needed his help, she started to need it less often. Together they read books on history, war tactics, and legends.

For the moment, he sat in his room alone with Kimiko. He was done with his duties for the day and Rin was attending a lesson on survival skills. She had him promise that they would not always be at the castle. So he arranged for lessons on how to survive on her own in case something ever happened. Not that he would allow such, however, it was best to be safe.

He stared at Kimiko and his mind began to wander. The day that she had barged in on him, her lavender eyes were glowing. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light. It wasn't until he had her against the wall did he notice it wasn't. At the time, he was to blinded by his emotions to even care about the phenomenon in front of him. Now, he wondered if it had something to do with allowing him to see the vision as well.

 _If you keep ignoring the ones you care about, you will lose them and feel that pain you keep trying to avoid._

Her words echoed in his mind as he closed his eyes with a sigh. Had he went about things differently, perhaps everything would have been better. For the longest, Sesshomaru felt that he was better than his father. He was beginning to wonder if that was ever true.

A hand grabbed his hand and his eyes flew open. He glanced at the hand before glancing at the face of the person it belonged to. Tired lavenders regarded him as she used her other hand to wipe an eye. "I never saw you sad before," Kimiko said softly. "I don't like it." She slowly attempted to sit up.

As he helped her up, he stared at her quizzically. "I am not sad. My face is the same-"

"Your eyes," she interrupted. "You wipe emotion away from your face, but I've learned to look at your eyes. Right now, they hold a sadness."

"Hn." At the moment, he was slightly shocked. Although, he was not concerned about it. His mind was more so focused on her. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a bit, though, I think its because I am hungry," she yawned. Her arms went up in the air as she stretched. "How long was I asleep?"

"A week."

"Oh, just a wee- A WEEK?!" Her eyes scanned his face in hopes of finding some hint that he was joking. He wasn't. "What the hell happened?! I remember being in the vision together, but other than that..."

Sesshomaru alerted a servant with a spike in his youki. After instructing the yokai to get food, he examined Kimiko. "You collapsed and remained unconscious. I think it is because of the fact I was with you in the vision. Had that ever happened before?" When she shook her head, he asked another question. "Are you aware that your eyes were glowing that day?"

Her eyes widened. Glowed? "T-They did? I never heard of such a thing." It was true. She never heard that her eyes had glowed before. Nor had she heard of such a thing happening to her ancestors. She didn't even know that is was possible to share a vision with someone else. Although, she didn't understand how it happened in the first place.

Silence filled the air between them he focused on his thoughts. After a moment, he spoke, "We will investigate this matter at a later date. For now, let us focus on your health."

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken ran into the room in a panic. "We have a dilemma!"

"What," he growled. For once, he just wanted to settle one matter without a new one arising.

"The Lord and Lady of the South have arrived," he gulped. "They received your letters stating that the presentation of your alpha female was postponed. But, they chose to still come and await the day here."

As Sesshomaru growled, Kimiko sighed. "So much for focusing on my health."

Just as Kimiko was about to attempt to stand, Sesshomaru spoke, "Stay here. I will deal with this matter."

The moment he left the room, Kimiko quickly stood up. She wobbled for a moment but managed to keep herself steady. Jaken immediately began to fuss over the fact that she was ignoring Sesshomaru's orders, but she paid him no attention. Instead, she went to the door that connected his room to hers. As she slid the door open, she paused. It was only now that she realized that she had been in Sesshomaru's bedroom and had slept on his bed. It made her wonder where did he sleep. Images of him sleeping beside her, as well as, memories of him undressed popped into her mind and her face turned red as her ears felt hot. Without hesitation, she attempted to clear her mind. She needed to focus on the matter at hand. The Lord and Lady of the South were in the castle. From what she learned from her lessons, Sesshomaru was to greet them with her by his side. Together, they were supposed to show the strength of the West. If she was not there or even acted out of line in front of them or any other nobles or leaders of different lands, the West would appear weak.

She went to her wardrobe and rummaged through the different kimonos. She settled upon a seafoam blue kimono with a koi pattern along the bottom. Grabbing a silver obi, she quickly dressed. When she was finished, she examined herself. Every movement in the high-quality silk caused ripples in the fabric that made it seem as though she was actually wearing a kimono of water. It seemed fitting considering the type of yokai the Lord and Lady of the South were. Swiftly, she brushed her hair and applied a little color to her lips. Kimiko dared not to attempt to apply makeup around her eyes. There was no time to work with it slowly or to even fix any mistakes.

After she left her room, she made her way towards the front of the castle. The closer she got, the more her anxiety began to build up inside. She wasn't worried about interacting with the visitors. After all, no matter their title, they were still just yokai. It would be the same if you met a human noble. Take away the title and you two were the same. Kimiko was more worried about how Sesshomaru would react to the fact that she disregarded an order. She didn't care what he actually thought of her, but that didn't mean she wanted her life to be any harder than what it currently was.

"So when do we get to see the new addition to your pack," a male voice asked. "We assumed we would have seen her with you when you'd come to greet us."

Sesshomaru spoke, "She-"

"Is right here," Kimiko interrupted as she rounded a corner. She went to Sesshomaru's side and bowed to the man and his mate. "I apologize for my tardiness. I was tending to some matters. It is nice to meet you. My name is Kimiko." She stood straight and examined the couple. The Lady of the South, Youko, had dark hair and pale skin. Her eyes were orange, matching the white and orange spotted kimono she wore. She looked like a beautiful human version of a koi. It was fitting considering she was a Ningyo. Kaito, the Lord of the South, on the other hand, was a Mizuchi. He wore gray hakama, a white montsuki kimono, and a black monstuki haori jacket. He looked similar to his mate, except his eyes were a bright blue. Kimiko was grateful to had learned about them in a lesson before she had been unconscious for a week. For a moment, she glanced at Sesshomaru and could see the displacement in his eyes.

Amusement danced in their eyes as they surveyed Kimiko. When they heard the news that Sesshomaru had an alpha-female, they knew she was human. However, they heard no word on how she was an oddity.

"Nice to meet you, Kimiko-san. I am Kaito and this is my mate, Youko." Kaito took a step closer and stared into Kimiko's eyes. "Your eyes are such an... unusual color for a human."

"You had a long journey, you must be tired," Sesshomaru interrupted. "The ceremony has been postponed temporarily. You may stay in a guest room until then." He signaled a maid to come to them and ordered her to take their guests to their room.

"You are too kind, Sesshomaru-sama," Kaito smirked as he followed the maid.

Youko stayed behind for a moment and focused her attention on Sesshomaru. "I understand her position in your pack, but is there more? Possible courting?"

Lavender eyes widened in shock and Sesshomaru quickly responded, "This one has no plans for anything of the sort."

Her orange eyes lit up as a smile spread across her face. "Oh, I see. Well, it just so happens that my youngest daughter is on her way here as well. Perhaps, you will find her to your taste. She has grown a lot in the past centuries that you last saw her."

"Hn."

Youko bowed before following after her husband. Kimiko watched as she became lost in her thoughts. Centuries. It made her wonder just how old Sesshomaru truly was. For him, the time he spent with her and Rin and their time together in the future would be like a blink of an eye. Such a thought made her feel sorry for him. His reasoning for barriers made more sense to her now that she thought more on it. Like a double-edged sword, however, such a precaution makes you miss out on a lot of things in life.

"Follow."

His voice broke her out of her thoughts and she walked quickly to catch up to him. He led her to her room and walked in. As she followed him inside and closed the door, her anxiety spiked. The glare he gave her sent shivers down her spine.

"I told you to stay where you were," he snarled. "We do not fully understand what happened, what you are truly capable of, and the effects that it had on your body! It does not help that you are showing yourself off to every outsider!"

Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "What is this truly about? The fact I didn't do what you wanted or the fact that he pointed out my eyes? Surely, you knew that it was going to raise questions. Or were you so used to them that you forgot?" The emotion that flashed in his eyes answered her question. He forgot. She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, "Tell them the truth. My family had distant yokai ancestry. No need to go into detail. I had figured that was the story we were going to go with anyway."

Moments passed before he spoke and broke the silence between them. "That is all we can do for now. If anyone tries to pull more information out of you, excuse yourself and come to me."

"I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru stared at her in confusion. Noticing this, she elaborated, "When I agreed to become part of your pack, I didn't think it would be so much trouble for you. I was just so concerned about Rin that I didn't try to find another way. Now, not only do you have to protect me from Naraku, but possibly also from members of your own court and yokai from different lands." Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the floor. It seemed as time went on, she was just more and more useless.

"You are a fool."

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. His golden eyes met hers and he walked forward. "I knew of your ancestry and what you could do. I knew what accepting you into my pack meant and would require." He raised his hand a pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I," he struggled to utter the words, "am the one who needs to... apologize. I have not acted like an alpha."

For a moment, Kimiko thought she was dreaming. The all mighty and terrible Sesshomaru was apologizing. Well, in his own way. A part of her mentally laughed as she imagined Inuyasha's reaction if she told him. No, this was something to keep between the two of them.

"Momma!" Rin ran into the room and hugged her. The hug was more like a tackle and Kimiko almost fell over. Luckily, Sesshomaru used his hand to keep her from hitting the ground. "Jaken said you woke up," she exclaimed. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I am feeling fine," Kimiko smiled as she hugged back.

Rin pulled away with a grin that could light up the night sky. "Can we play in the garden?! Please, can we?!"

"Rin," Sesshomaru began.

Kimiko replied, "Yes."

The two stared at each other. Sesshomaru had a disapproving look as Kimiko gave what Kagome called a puppy dog face. It was something the miko claimed to work on almost anyone if done right. Sometimes she used it on Inuyasha in order to go back to the well.

"Fine. On the condition that you eat and do not strain yourself. I will accompany you to ensure you do so."

Rin excitedly ran out of the room as she headed towards the garden. Kimiko smiled at Sesshomaru and thanked him. As she headed towards the door, she whispered, "By the way, I prefer it when you don't speak in the third person. It feels easier to talk to you." With that, she disappeared from his sight.

Sesshomaru stood there as he processed her words. Once more he had stopped using "this one" without realizing it. It was beyond his understanding of how she was truly able to make him act in unusual ways. Though it was irritating, she was also able to show him when he was actually making a mistake. Having her around seemed to have equal pros and cons.

He closed the door behind him as he walked out into the hallway. As he followed the path they had taken, he stopped at a painting of his father. Golden eyes met those that were painted and he wondered what his father would think of him now. Was he truly worthy to be the Lord of the West? His recent behavior made him wonder. Sesshomaru continued on his way and notified a servant to bring Kimiko's food to the garden.

Laughter met his ears as he entered the garden. Kimiko chased Rin around a tree. Each time she almost grabbed her, the child would dart in a completely different direction. As he watched the two play, the empty feeling he had was now gone. Contentment now filled its place. At that moment, he heard his father's voice echo in his head.

 _Tell me, Sesshomaru have you someone to protect._

 _"Yes."_


End file.
